Rejuvenation
by SlenderMonkey
Summary: Rin and Sakura reconnect to rebuild their decimated family, wanting to heal the hurts that their unnatural separation has caused both of them. In confronting her own demons as well as her sister's, Rin examines her personal pride, her sense of guilt in crimes dating to her childhood, and her very purpose as a Magus.
1. Sisters Again

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay, Tohsaka?" Shirou's steady voice betrayed the concern he felt for both her and the prone young woman lying on the bed.

"I'm fine, Emiya," said Rin, lightly fingering the coarse bandage around her arm. She smiled to reassure him. "The bleeding's stopped. Once I make sure Sakura is comfortable, I'll use a jewel or two that I had stashed for healing wounds like this."

"You really don't need my help, then?"

Rin rolled her eyes, but her smile didn't fade as much as she had intended.

"Honestly, you can be such a meddler, you know that? I can take care of myself, you know. Or did you forget that I'm a much more skilled Magus than you?"

Shirou blushed, and looked away, his hand in a back pocket. His gaze rested on the limp Sakura at his feet. The provocative clothes she had been dressed in by Caster didn't suit her at all, he thought. Shirou felt that he should look away, but his eyes lingered on the warm smile on his friend's face, incongruous to the traumatic ordeal she had been through. Sakura slept peacefully, her chest rising and falling. Shifting his sight away from the girl's ample chest, Shirou turned and headed for the door.

"You know my number if anything happens… Sakura is important to me, too."

Rin took a half-step forward, then sprinted to Shirou's retreating form and hugged him, pressing herself against his broad back.

"Thank you so much, Shirou," she whispered, favoring her injured arm with the squeeze.

"Tohsaka…"

"She's… my sister. You know that, right? We've had to stay apart for so long, but now…"

"I understand," Shirou said, closing Rin's hand into his own. Turning around, he smiled, and without a word, slipped on his shoes and left the house.

The outfit the witch had imposed upon her was really quite awful. The garish sheen went badly with the tight black fabric, in Rin's opinion. With sweaty fingers, Rin went to work loosening and pulling Sakura out of the ill-suited clothes. Just starting to pull off the leggings, Rin saw the girl's eyes snap open, and her small frame jerk upwards as she let out a half-swallowed scream.

"Sakura! It's okay, Sakura!"

"Y-y-you…" Sakura's arms stopped shaking as she looked incredulously into Rin's face, shining with tears.

"It's me. It's me, Sakura-chan." Rin stroked her sister's face with her uninjured limb. Like a frightened child, Sakura threw her arms around Rin's neck.

"There, there," Rin said, gritting her teeth against the pressure Sakura was placing on her wound. Sakura gave quiet sobs as Rin rubbed her back. The siblings stayed that way for some time, until Sakura broke the embrace first, slowly, and locked eyes with Rin. Bright blue eyes stared back into cloudy purple ones as Rin returned the look, a nervous smile forming on her face. Sakura was prompted to make the same expression.

"You must want a bath. I already drew one, so…"

"Come in with me? Please?" Sakura's palm fell into Rin's, and Rin couldn't refuse.

The house of the Tohsaka clan, though Rin alone lived there, as the family head, was a Western-style mansion of a sort uncommon to Fuyuki City. Both Rin and Sakura had been born in this house, and spent their earliest childhood memories here. This was the last real home that Sakura had ever known, apart from the blessed moments of togetherness at the Emiya estate. Taking Sakura by the hand, Rin led her to the bathroom, and graciously helped her undress. Being totally unfamiliar with what she was wearing, Sakura gave a meek smile of gratitude as her elder sister stripped off the last convoluted garment.

Without asking, Rin followed suit and disrobed. Rinsing off, Rin had the opportunity to run her hands through the soft, vibrant, and eerily purple hair of her sister as she washed it. Seeing how content Sakura was as her scalp was massaged, her eyes closed, Rin finished and did her own hair herself. The two lowered themselves into the bath, and both leaned back in the pleasure of the hot water.

"Onee-chan, this feels so good," Sakura murmured, her eyes remaining closed for a second before she started, and they popped open.

"I-I'm sorry, Rin, I was –" Sakura sputtered quietly.

"It's all right, little sister. We don't have to pretend anymore. I'm your big sister, and I promise that I always will be. Everything will be all right from now on."

Looking unsure at first, as someone coming from a lifetime of abuse can be, Sakura nodded, once, then twice and three times more.

That night was the most quiet that Rin had ever remembered. Exhausted by the night's exertions, her injury, and the bath, Rin laid out some of her pajamas for Sakura in the guest room. After a while, finally climbing into bed, Rin had just closed her eyes when she felt a small and graceful form slide in next to her.

"You… don't mind?" Sakura's purple eyes were illuminated in the ambient light.

"No, sweetie; not at all. It's been too long since we've slept together."

"We're a family again?"

"We are."

"I knew it. I always knew you'd come for me."

The sisters drew each other's body close, and drifted into a peaceful slumber.


	2. Tainted

Rin had told Shirou that she wouldn't be back to his house for at least a day. Even then, she wished she could spare longer. The last thing she wanted right now was to give Sakura the impression that she was abandoning her after rescuing her. But with the ranks of Servants and Masters dwindling, the final stages of the Holy Grail Wars loomed. Rin might have lost Archer, but she could still aid Shirou and Saber as a Magus. A proud girl like Rin wouldn't have admitted it any time soon, but she was now quite attached to the inept but earnest boy and his knightly protector.

As these thoughts swirled in Rin's head, she paused in the middle of dressing herself. Saber… Rin had not been subtle in voicing her displeasure with the powerful Saber class being summoned by someone like Emiya, who barely qualified as a Magus. However, Rin had tried to be more discrete about another reason, once she had seen what a beautiful woman the Heroic Spirit of Arthur really was.

Blushing as she straightened her thighhighs, Rin scolded herself for fantasizing on an impossible dream, especially in the current circumstances. Still, she thought, perhaps the musings she had about Saber, beautiful and strong, were a way to staunch the old wounds she had been trying most of her life not to reopen until the previous night.

While Sakura was still asleep, Rin went out to buy groceries. Her house was devoid of food since she had moved into Shirou's house, so she wanted to get enough at least for Sakura for a little while. It was a mystery as to who remained in the Matou house, and whether they were actually feeding her there.

Rin had always kept her interactions with the Matou family to a minimum over the years, including, painfully, relating as a mere schoolmate to Sakura. Shinji Matou was someone that Rin had disliked intensely since childhood, and it angered her that her flesh and blood had to share a household with him. Upon entering their teenage years, Rin was disdainful of the playboy attitude the boy was growing into, and rumors of Shinji's budding misogyny turned her stomach.

"Well, he's just a stain, now," Rin mused silently.

Having covertly inspected the scene of Shinji Matou's extremely messy death at the hands of Berserker, Rin felt little more than a sense of release. She felt calm that a cowardly excuse for a sorcerer was no longer among the living, and away from Sakura.

Guilt she had not noticed as a child was now welling up in Rin. She was angry with herself for letting so many years slip by before growing up enough to stand and act for what was right. To move against the wrongs of her parents was impossible for a child who didn't know any better. Magi family honor and traditions meant a whole lot less to a 16-year-old than they did to a 6-year-old, especially when the two sisters were the only family left alive.

Stepping through the entryway and slipping on her indoor shoes, Rin began carrying in the shopping bags when she was aware of short moaning coming from the bedroom. Setting the items down, Rin dashed to where she had left Sakura and wrenched open the door. No one was on the bed.

"Rin, it… it hurts…"

Walking to the en suite bathroom, Rin viewed Sakura through the open door, straddling the bathtub awkwardly. Bottomless, she was perched over a growing number of splashes that were not blood.

"I-I have some pads in the next room. Wait a second." The words came out automatically from Rin's mouth, and the next thing she knew, she was shuffling away from the sight, her eyes burning.

"Dammit, Dad," hissed Rin behind closed teeth. What was happening to Sakura resembled menstruation, except the blood was _purple_. Purple, and dripping out at a seemingly faster pace. Was this only a side-effect of growing up in the Matou house? Or was the black magic Caster exposed her to doing this?

Coming back with the necessaries, Rin helped her sister clean up and change into a spare set of her clothes, all the while ignoring the fact that the fluid steadily leaving her sister's body was a sickly shade of purple.

"Has this ever happened before?" asked Rin, once she had gotten Sakura some tea and aspirin and had her sit down in the parlor.

Sakura shook her head with a rustle of purple hair.

"Well, can you tell me when your last period was?"

"I've never had a period before."

"You… you mean…"

"Yes. That was the first time anything like that happened. I know it's supposed to be blood for normal people, but for… for someone like me…"

Seeing the tears well in Sakura's eyes, Rin moved in close with a hug.

"Listen, why don't you come with me to Emiya's house today? He's missed your cooking. I mean, I have too, but…" Rin chuckled and rubbed her own head.

"I… don't think I can see Senpai today. Not when I'm like this."

Rin cocked her head and put an arm around Sakura. Her other hand moved gently across the seated girl's stomach in a light massage.

"But you want to see him, don't you?"

"I…"

"I know, Sakura. How you feel."

Rin made eye contact with her little sister and gave a warm smile.

"Right now I'm helping Shirou with some really important things," Rin went on.

"The Grail War," responded Sakura.

Seeing her elder sister slightly taken aback, Sakura continued quickly: "I know about what our family was involved with, even if I wasn't given the same training as you, Rin. Rider… she was my friend, you know. She was so wonderful, but then Shinji, he… he took her. He took so many things from me."

Sakura did not cry, but she hung her head and drew her thin arms around herself, bracing her slender body against the throbbing pain in her womb. With a warm hand against Sakura's face, Rin kissed her cheek.

"That's all over now. I swear it."

They stayed like that for some moments more, with Rin encouraging Sakura to sip the tea, holding her hand while seated in the next chair. Eventually, the beginnings of a smile started on Sakura's face, and Rin spoke.

"I have to get going. But I'll be back!" she added quickly and brightly, standing up and gathering an old tote bag to take with her. "Is there anything of yours you want me to bring here, Sakura?"

Seeing her confused face, Rin elaborated: "Your clothes and things; anything at all you want from your old house… You belong here now, Sakura. This is our home. It's the way it was always supposed to be."

Lowering the teacup, Sakura sat up straight.

"No, Onee-chan. I'll get what I want myself."

Rin started, but Sakura raised a hand to quiet her.

"It's okay. Really. The house is empty. It has been ever since Shinji… Since he left. And I need to go and say goodbye to it. So I can say goodbye for good. Do you understand?"

The elder sister's face brightened considerably.

"Yes, sweetie. I get it. You don't have to do that today, though. Listen, make yourself at home. I'm going to be gone all day, but I'm coming back just before midnight, all right?

"All right."

"Call Emiya's house if you need me! Don't worry, I'll pick up before he does!" Rin added, giving a small giggle at seeing Sakura blush and grin. With that, Rin Tohsaka was off.


	3. Repose

Holding the little cup in both hands, Rin sipped her green tea infinitesimally. Slowly, she brought it down to rest on the low table, and cast a sideways glance at Shirou.

"Well, aren't you going to say anything?" said Rin.

"Like what?" he replied, both arms folded on the table, a totally neutral expression on his face. Rin let out a sigh.

"Geez, Emiya, why don't you take the initiative sometimes? Girls like that, you know."

"I'm not sure what it is you want to talk to me about. Is it about that golden Servant and our next strategy?"

Rin's fists flew to her hips, her face rapidly reddening.

"You could ask how I am after getting stabbed, or how Sakura is doing!" she thundered. "Aren't you two childhood friends? You're the worst! It's not like I'd care if you didn't give a second thought about me, but forgetting about Sakura? That's my little sister, you moron!"

Shirou fell away from the table reflexively, his arms quivering as they supported him.

"Tohsaka!" he pleaded. "Of course I care about both of you; I just didn't want to pry into your personal life!"

Rin turned away from him on her knees, her arms crossed.

"Well, knowing you, that's the sort of thing I should have expected," she said, opening an eye and gazing at him. "But I'm not the sort of person who cares much about touchy subjects anymore. I mean, you know the truth already. Sakura is my sister."

She moved a hand down one tress of black hair absently. Opening her other eye, Rin turned back towards Shirou with a more pacific expression.

"Our parents did something awful when we were really young. They gave her up to the Matous and treated me as the sole heir to the family magecraft."

Rin bowed her head, but kept her back straight.

"And… I know that they… didn't treat… her well there. So… thanks again for helping me save her. Now she's finally free," Rin said, looking up with a tight smile.

"Tohsaka, you and I are comrades, even if you don't want to admit it. And Sakura has always been someone I've wanted to protect," Shirou said, an uneasy smile coming to his features. "I care about both of you. Knowing that you two are family makes me really happy."

"W-well, that's all right for you! I'll have you know that Sakura cares a lot about you, Emiya… B-but when I got my little sister back I was overcome by emotion! That's why I hugged you! You and I are partners in this War, but we're business partners! Don't think that I'm as equally concerned about you or anything!"

The blush on Rin's face deepened, but her smile did not completely vanish as she shouted.

"And…" she continued, her voice becoming calm again. "That night when… you, me, and Saber… I know we haven't said anything about it since, but…"

Now it was Shirou's turn to blush. He knew plainly that Rin was referring to the mana transfer the three were forced into by circumstance before facing Berserker in battle.

"Rin, I –"

"Shut up!" she snapped. "I'm not done! What we did on the castle grounds we did because we are Magi, and you were a Master on my side in this Grail War that I could help! So… I did! That's all it was."

Watching her fume, Shirou couldn't help but express a small grin, which he tried to casually quash with his hand.

"Sorry," he said, not really knowing why he was apologizing.

Rin slowly stood up, smoothing her skirt. She looked ready to change to subject. Truthfully, Rin was most embarrassed over having Shirou watch while she had made love to Saber. Such an intimate act, done with a woman so soft and yielding, and Saber of all people, only to prepare her for the following ritual exclusively between Saber and Shirou… At the time, Rin had felt such an intense mixture of happiness and sadness that she cried. The other two, consumed by their act of union, hadn't noticed.

"Right," Rin said definitively. "As for strategies, I'm drawing a complete blank. We know nothing about this Servant other than what Saber can tell us, and she doesn't know much more than we do. We've all fought hard recently, and there's no immediate threat on the horizon, so we might as well rest today."

"Okay," said Shirou, looking as though he knew Rin would say this. "And I plan on resting by taking Saber out on a date."

Rin paused, and stared at his confident face for a few moments before letting out a powerful stream of laughter.

"Hey! What I said isn't funny!" said Shirou. Strongly annoyed, he got up, moving closer to the girl holding her sides and wheezing.

"Oh… Oh, Shirou, that's priceless. Imagine, a stiff like you… on a date… with Saber!"

"That's enough," he replied in an irritated voice.

"Ah, well, I guess it does sound like a good way to blow off steam," said Rin, eyes watering. "But, uh… you aren't going to put the moves on her, are you?" Her expression was much more serious than Shirou expected.

"Look, I just want to give Saber a taste of what life can be like without all this conflict, or duty. She deserves it, doesn't she?"

"Sure she does. But, Emiya… Have you ever thought about taking Sakura on a date?"

Shirou looked confused.

"Uh, well, no. Sakura and I are close; she takes care of some things like food around here, but I don't think she's interested in that kind of –"

"Ugh! You dolt! She's in love with you! Are you so blind to that?"

Grabbing the boy's shirt, Rin saw genuine shock in Shirou's eyes.

"Emiya, her coming here to cook for you, walking to school with you, it's all Sakura's way of showing how much she cares for you! God, I shouldn't have to explain this!" Rin cried.

"S-Sakura is…" he mumbled.

Rin took a moment to compose herself, letting Shirou go.

"Shirou," she began. "My sister looked to you for strength when she felt she had no one else. When I… when I was letting her down. I'm not saying that you have to return her feelings, but please be aware of them, at the very least."

Shirou nodded after a few seconds, and was about to say something when Rin started again.

"But, that aside, I do think you had a pretty good idea. Show Saber a good time. Be a gentleman. Because," she lowered her voice. "I know you're a gentleman. It's what Sakura loves about you."

A short time later, Saber was sitting at the table with Rin and Shirou opposite her, neatly seated, and looking as though she were solving a difficult equation.

"A date? And what is that?"

"Um, it just means that we go around the city, seeing interesting things. Just us. Basically…" said Shirou.

"But whatever for?" Saber returned.

Sparing Shirou from having to fumble for more words, Rin stepped in.

"Saber, we've just been talking about our recent exertions, and we've decided that it's best to take a break for now. Shirou wants to do this because he thinks it'll be fun for you two. You know, enjoyable."

"I'm… not sure that will be…" said Saber.

"Please, Saber," cut in Shirou. "There's nothing we can do at this point in the fight. We have no obvious targets, and no plans. I only want to get you to see what life here is beyond battles and sorcery. It'll make us happy."

A short silence later, Saber nodded her head, smiling.

"Very well," she said. "Resting after a hard battle is wise. I shall do as you wish, Master."

"Oh, and… try to keep the 'Master' stuff to yourself while we're out," said Shirou, giving a nervous look at a grinning Rin.

Just then, a flash of purple and white shot into view without warning.

"A date! It's a date!" cried Ilya with childish glee, latching onto Shirou. "I want to go on a date with you first, big brother! Blondie's just going to have to wait her tur–"

With a thunk, Ilya cut her speech short. Slowly sliding to the hardwood floor, she started murmuring incoherently.

"You'd best leave now, Emiya," said Rin, bringing her outstretched flat palm back to her side. "I can't say for sure how long before this little demon will be up and ready to prey on you again."

* * *

At around ten o'clock, Rin was worn out from studying.

"Even an honor student like me can only multitask so many things," she said to herself, standing and stretching. She had phoned Sakura twice already, and found her doing well, but one more call before heading home wouldn't hurt.

The evening had passed quite uneventfully. Having held Ilya down long enough for Saber and Shirou to escape, Rin did her best to entertain the little girl after some healthy arguing. After a few rounds of video gaming, Rin and Ilya went to the dojo to lightheartedly compare dance moves. To Ilya's delight, Rin had taken some ballet when she was younger, and the German showed great relish in showing up the older girl with her own skills. The workout had tired Ilya a good deal, and so she had gone off to a deep sleep while Rin tackled her long-neglected schoolwork.

As she passed the entryway, a loud knock sounded, and a booming voice penetrated the door.

"Rin, it's me. I wonder if I could have a word with you."

Taken aback, Rin recognized Kirei Kotomine's voice, and opened the latch. The sardonic grin she was used to adopting around the priest in private dissipated when she saw Kotomine, standing tall and smiling. In his raised fist was a blade, long and black.

"Kirei…"

"Hello, Rin. You've done excellent work keeping the homunculus safe. She'll be a truly worthy vessel for the Holy Grail."

Without a sound, Rin's guardian plunged the dagger into her stomach.


	4. Unbreakable

"Oh, God! Rin!"

Rin heard Shirou move quickly up the entryway, and her first response was to try and say his name, but only a burble of blood left her lips. Sensitive to the sudden illumination, Rin could see nothing until Saber, after checking the rest of the house, knelt alongside her Master at Rin's side. The injured girl was slightly aware of something soft and warm drawn across her face, and looked past the wet cloth to see bright green eyes showing deep concern as Saber wiped away the blood.

Before Shirou could ask, Rin looked at him and said "Kirei."

"Are you sure?"

"It was Kirei. I'm sure. He spoke to me. Said something about… homunculus."

"Rin…" It was Saber who showed concern when Rin's eyes closed.

"I'm just resting for a second, Saber," Rin returned, managing a small grin as she took pleasure in feeling the cloth moving again.

"We already know that Kotomine has betrayed us. Illyasviel is missing," said Saber, her gaze darting to her Master. "Shirou, what happened at the church was a diversion. I believe his plan is to force her to become a vessel for the Holy Grail."

"Yes," said Rin. "I've had a strange feeling about that little girl for a while now. If she really is what Kirei said she is… He can use her to summon a warped Grail before the Grail War is won…"

Rin gritted her teeth.

"That lying, backstabbing, hypocritical… asshole!" She was shaking with rage, and slid along to the side, leaving a red smear on the wall.

"Calm down, Rin!" said Shirou, starting forward, but not daring to touch her. Saber held Rin steady as she winced and went limp. There were several seconds of heavy breathing before Rin looked up at Shirou.

"Emiya, you have to get Ilya back. If the two of you don't stop Kirei, something even worse than that fire ten years ago will happen."

A haunted look washed over Shirou's face. His thousand-yard-stare was only momentary, recalling the trauma of his childhood, and nodding briskly in Rin's direction.

"Okay… Saber and I know what we have to do," Shirou said, trustfully looking at his Servant, whose strong features of conviction gave him courage. "But, Rin, you need a doctor. Let me –"

"I still have some jewels. I can heal myself and come with you," Rin interjected, struggling to rise. Saber drew even closer and prevented her.

"Rin."

Saber said her name calmly, and with the confidence that she was known for. Rin stopped trying to move and looked into Saber's beautiful face, transfixed. Then, with a sidelong glance, Rin spoke quickly to Shirou.

"Emiya, you'll need all the help you can get fighting Kirei and his Servant. There's a wooden box in my room. Get it. Hurry!"

"Fine, but I'm calling you an ambulance first," said Shirou, streaking through the entryway.

"You know you don't have the strength to repair your wound right now, let alone fight," Saber said.

"I always… dreamed of summoning you," Rin said dreamily. She smiled in spite of the pain, and reached out with her clean hand. Saber's eyes went wide, but she remained still as Rin stroked her cheek.

"Since I was a little girl, I've been training, practicing to call the Saber class when the time was right. So… Since that pitiful excuse for a Magus got you…"

Here she frowned.

"I won't accept it if you don't come back. He got you before I did, and I couldn't stand it if I really lost you for good. And if he dies, so do you. Don't let him die, okay? He's… important. For you, and… my sister."

Saber pulled Rin's hand away and gave a smile slightly warmer than she was wont.

"You have my word, Rin," Saber said. Hesitating for a second, she lightly pressed her lips to Rin's.

"W-w-what…" Rin stuttered, the pain of her wound fading from the warmth of the tender kiss.

"Rin… Everything will be all right. I'll see you again, I promise."

With a brief caress of the injured girl's dark hair, Saber stood and trod briskly toward where Shirou had vanished, leaving Rin hurting, but stable on her back. In spite of the outrage, in spite of the pain she felt, the sorceress closed her eyes as her tears started to flow freely. Where they came from, she wasn't sure. All Rin was sure of was the immense unworthiness coursing through her, a pitiful woman who denied her own flesh-and-blood in the name of family honor, loving the majestic King of Knights.

* * *

The next dozen hours was a monotonous stretch of time for Rin Tohsaka, who could not lose consciousness. Her restlessness in being confined to a cot in Fuyuki City Hospital, in spite of her grievous wound, was an extra torture. The concern for Saber and Shirou was compounded with the doubt she had about their using the Jewelled Sword of Zelretch. Still, it was the only weapon she had to offer in the fight against the corrupt priest and his golden Servant.

At long last, Shirou visited Rin's hospital room, exhausted and bruised, but alive. Seeing her worried face, Shirou dispensed with the pleasantries and told her the facts: Kotomine and Gilgamesh were routed, Ilya rescued, the tainted Grail was destroyed, and as a direct consequence…

"Saber is gone, Rin," said Shirou, his face stony. The two said nothing for several minutes, each of them silently grieving for the loss of their comrade. Rin strained to keep her composure, knowing that how she felt must not have been very different from how Shirou felt toward the slight blonde warrior. Her love for Saber had been ephemeral, as she knew it must be, having known what it meant to be an epic spirit for years. All the same, Rin felt an irrecoverable loss of such magnitude that she knew she couldn't take it all in in this moment.

"It was nice that you came to visit, Shirou. Don't think that it was necessary, though, because it wasn't."

"Nice to see you acting like your old self," said Shirou, slightly forcing a grin.

"How's my sister holding up?" Rin didn't miss a beat, folding her hands.

"Your… oh, sorry. You mean Sakura," he replied, rubbing his head. "I'm still getting used to the idea of you two being related. You're so different, after all!"

"You've known Sakura for a long time, haven't you?"

"Yeah, since I was adopted by my dad. Sakura and I went to the same elementary school."

Shirou's wistful smile was aimed nowhere in particular, and he looked at the floor.

"I… I noticed her because I never saw her smile. She didn't act like kids normally do at our age. Sakura and I were in different grades, but could tell how lonely she was whenever I saw her. I thought it wasn't right that such a pretty girl should have nothing to smile about, so one day I just asked to be her friend, straight-up."

"Hmhmhm… That does sound like you, Shirou, even at that age," said Rin, laughing softly. "Well, why don't you try asking her out sometime? Not now! Just… if you feel up to it. If you think you could ever see her as more than a close friend."

"Is that really okay?"

"Look, Shirou, the Holy Grail Wars are over. Because of you and Saber, the tainted Grail can never be summoned again. We don't have to fight together anymore!"

"So, all I ever amounted to was an ally in battle?" asked Shirou, frowning.

"Shirou, don't take it like that…"

Aware of and wishing that she had more tact, Rin decided to put things as simply as she could.

"You and Sakura are both so old-fashioned. You're perfect for each other! Haven't you realized that yet, Shirou? Hell, you're practically married as it is!"

There was a four-second silence before the heavy door pushed open, admitting Sakura Matou into their presence. Rin and Shirou both turned bright red, and hoped that she wouldn't notice.

"Hello, Onee-chan," said Sakura, her soft voice clear in the stillness of the hospital room. She closed her eyes and gave a warm smile despite her nervousness, making it impossible for Rin not to return it. Sakura was wearing an open pink cardigan and her usual conservative skirt, indicating that she had already gotten the last of her things from the Matou house.

"I um… I'll wait downstairs and let you catch up," said Shirou, shuffling to the door.

"Let's walk home together, Senpai," said Sakura, catching his sleeve. "Okay?"

"…Okay," Shirou replied, his familiar confident grin back in place.

"Sakura… I'm sorry I didn't come home when I said I would," Rin said, sitting up, her impulsive smile rapidly fading.

"No, it's okay… I mean…"

Sakura trailed off, and seemed to catch herself as her gaze fell.

"Actually, Rin, yeah, I was scared. Emiya-senpai came over and told me what happened. But… I don't want you to feel bad about it! You got hurt so bad… I didn't know if you were going to be all right, right after I could start calling you sister again…"

Sakura's deep purple eyes were shimmering with tears, and some were already trickling down her pale cheek. Rin's own eyes felt watery.

"Aw, come here," she said, gesturing to one side of the bed. The younger girl got up and hurriedly strode to Rin's outstretched arms, burying her face in Rin's shoulder.

"Sakura, I'm not going anywhere," Rin whispered, as her sister sniffled softly. They stayed like that for a time, until the bleary-eyed Sakura raised her head and tried to make lighter conversation.

"I know that the problems you and Senpai were having are over now. I thought we could celebrate, so when you get well enough to leave, we can all have hot-pot at Senpai's house, together. It shouldn't be too much longer, right?"

The optimism of her younger sister impressed Rin, and she felt touched, knowing that this quality was part of what had sustained Sakura through the hellish years of her childhood. Before the Holy Grail War, Rin thought she would have written it off as childish naivety, but now she saw it as a precious innocence that refused to be quashed by cruelty and black magic. More than ever, Rin was convinced that Sakura was meant to be with Shirou, that irritating boy with the same sanguinity as her beloved sister.


	5. Celebration

Spring was now in full bloom in Fuyuki City, and Rin was discharged from the hospital earlier than she expected. Though she didn't really need to, she held Sakura's arm on the way out the door and back into the Tohsaka family home.

"So pretty," Rin heard Sakura's soft voice murmur as they strode past the flowering cherry blossoms hanging overhead. Rin squeezed her sister's arm tighter and met her gaze.

"Aren't they? It's too bad they're around for such a short time."

Tilting her head, Rin's smile broadened as her eyes watered. Sakura showed light concern.

"Onee-chan, does it hurt? Am I moving too fast for you?

"No. Oh, no," said Rin, sniffing, and waving her hand. "Look, there's the front door; let's just go in and sit down, okay?"

Passing the flowers of her namesake, Sakura took two dozen more strides and fumbled in her skirt pocket for the house key. The two felt they had enough time before meeting with Shirou, and Sakura diligently prepared tea while Rin beamed at the thorough cleaning her sister had given her reclaimed home.

"Wow, Sakura, it looks great in here!" said Rin, genuinely impressed.

"You were living really tidily for someone living alone, Onee-chan; I didn't really do much."

And yet there was truly a difference made by Sakura's efforts. Cleaning, polishing, and dusting while Rin was indisposed, Sakura had brought out the lustre of the house, removed its tomb-like air, and made it more livable. However, it crossed Rin's mind that her home may have just felt like that now that there was more than one occupant. Dealing with a Servant like Archer in the house had taken getting used to, as had her imposition on Shirou's living space, but Rin now felt complete and fulfilled, living with her own flesh and blood.

As Sakura poured each of them a cup with the grace of a professional, Rin's eyes were drawn inexplicably to the fuchsia ribbon tied behind Sakura's left ear. A half-forgotten episode from childhood leapt into Rin's head, and she remembered.

It had happened nearly ten years before, at one of the rare occasions that she and her sister were allowed to meet incidentally. It was during one of the infrequent meetings between the town's Magi, and the young Rin watched her father and a grey-skinned, hairless man in a kimono seal themselves in the parlor of the Tohsaka house. At that time, Rin was left to entertain herself while the adults were talking, and had the opportunity to see Sakura for the first time in over a year. Rin was at first apprehensive, and then mystified as she saw how much the younger girl had transformed. Sakura's hair was changed to a vivid purple, and her eyes had become the same color: empty, opaque, and mournful.

As a young child, Rin could not appreciate the depths of Sakura's misery and despair. All she knew at the time was that Sakura looked sad. Though warned by her parents not to treat Sakura Matou like family anymore, the young Rin, in her gracious, gregarious way, held out a fuchsia ribbon to the traumatized child. Sakura looked at it like a cornered animal, but ended up taking what was offered her, eliciting a precociously proud smirk on Rin's face.

"Daddy's teaching me to be a sorceress!" said the little girl, hands on her hips. "I put a lucky spell on that ribbon. You should wear it!"

"Thank you," said the even littler girl, and managed the ghostliest of smiles as Rin tied the ribbon onto one side of her lank purple hair, that unnatural hair that Rin told her looked so pretty.

The ribbon, of course, was quite ordinary, but Sakura treasured her only gift from her birth-sister, treating it with care, and wearing it as often as her jailers would let her. It wasn't until Sakura first laid eyes on Shirou Emiya in middle school, seeing him jump hurdles on the track from her perch on the bleachers, that she had another strong reason for living.

"So, Sakura," said Rin, in a quiet voice, "Does your tummy still hurt? I wanted to call you when I was at Emiya's house, but then I thought that you might want your space, and that you'd call if anything got worse."

"Oh, Rin, I'm fine," said Sakura cheerily, both of her hands moving to her slender waist. "The day after I saw you in the hospital, I wasn't as aching nearly as much, and…"

Sakura paused, and gave a terse smile with closed eyes.

"And I didn't need anything for my underwear, either. Thank you for letting me use those things, though."

"It's all right," said Rin, just glad that her sister was okay again. "I'm… quite irregular myself, ho ho ho ho…" she added, masking the strange feeling with nervous laughter and a swig of tea.

_Smooth_, Rin thought. _Comparing my own messed-up uterus to hers isn't going to do a damn bit of good._

"You're still young; I learnt in Health that it can take time to stop acting up," said the younger sister, betraying no sense of hurt in her voice or mien.

Taking a ladylike drink, Sakura placed her teacup to the side and folded her hands.

"Actually, Rin, after you set off from here, I left to get my things and bring them back to our house," she said, looking to change the subject

Rin felt complex emotions run through her. Firstly, she felt a surge of warmth when she heard Sakura say "our house", even though it was only Rin who had lived there for many years. However…

"Sakura, I'm sorry that you had to go there on your own. I know that… that house is the last place you need to be, but –"

"Rin," said Sakura, and the firm way she said it made Rin pause, looking full in her sister's face. "Listen, I had to go there. To get the few things that I was allowed to keep, and to say goodbye to that place forever. I'm never going back."

Sakura's eyes were narrowed, but her mouth was as soft as it usually was, managing a faint smile as she bowed her head slightly.

A few hours later, the sisters changed for dinner and set off for the Emiya compound. Pulling up her thighhighs, Rin mused on the finality of Sakura's words. Much like Rin's precious little time with Saber, that chapter was indeed closed. Though she tried not to think about it, the matter pervaded her thoughts. _How long will it be before my happy reunion with Sakura can't cover the pain of losing Saber? How long can I bear to ignore it?_

* * *

"Miss Tohsaka! I'm so happy you're okay!" the loud and emotive Taiga Fujimura cried as she she saw Rin come into the living room. Rin smiled as the older woman ran over and gave her a firm but careful hug, avoiding Rin's injured midsection.

"Sorry I haven't been able to come to class, Miss Fujimura."

"Don't be stupid! I was so worried for my best student that I wasn't able to sleep!"

Letting Taiga sob into her dainty shoulder, Rin shot a grin to Sakura, who she was glad to see return it with hands clasped. Rin wasn't sure how Shirou must have spun the truth to their teacher. Whatever Taiga believed about what had occurred on the final night of the Holy Grail War, the young Magus was reassured that there would be no awkward questions.

The evening progressed with mirth and warmth between the teacher and students, old friends, and comrades. Taiga's energy ably covered for the absence of Illyasviel, whom Shirou had told Rin was sulking back in her family's castle. Waking up after Shirou had saved her from Kotomine, Ilya had melted with embarrassment upon finding herself naked but for a thin sheet, being held in his arms.

Rin couldn't help but give a loud guffaw when she heard this, as the little girl's forwardness toward Shirou was something that irked her more than she cared to admit. Inwardly, Rin had thought darkly that she would have beaten Shirou to a bloody pulp had she herself been in Ilya's position. _Honorable intentions be damned, Emiya._

The food was prepared with Sakura's usual speed, and Shirou and his four houseguests enjoyed a hearty meal punctuated by the chatter of good friends. Breaking out a bottle of sake to "celebrate Miss Tohsaka's recovery," Taiga swore each of the teenagers to secrecy and poured them a shallow drink each. Coaxing them reluctantly to swallow the burning liquid, Shirou's guardian wasted no time in attacking the bottle's remaining contents.

"Fuji-nee, what's with you?" Shirou asked, his face still sour-looking from the alcohol.

"I'm… I'm just so happy that everybody's okay…" Taiga heaved, pouring herself another glass.

"She drinks when she gets really emotional," Shirou whispered to Rin, who was staring with some surprise at her teacher, who was rapidly getting sloshed.

The night wore on, and at Sakura's behest, she went with a blushing Shirou to sit on the courtyard's porch, leaving Rin with the rambling Taiga. Conversation didn't come easily between the two in the night breeze; the girl sitting on the hardwood seiza-style, and the boy slumped more informally.

"I thought, since the two of us have been around Fuji-nee for a lot longer," he began at last, "Rin wouldn't mind taking in that funny story by herself. I mean, we must've heard it a hundred times by –"

"Senpai… What is that?"

Seeing Sakura hesitantly point to his right, Shirou turned and saw an unearthly blue light emanate from the shed placed inelegantly in the compound's yard. _The same shed_, Shirou thought, _where I first summoned Saber_. A cold sweat came to his brow.

"Sakura… I think I should look at this. Wait here, okay?"

"I can come with you," said Sakura urgently, moving to let her legs splay to one side.

"I'm a Magus, and I've handled stuff like this. You can't use sorcery, can you?"

Sakura barely stifled a gasp, and felt the blood rush to her face. It was true, and the treatment of her by the Matous, coupled by being deprived of training, had robbed her of the innate gift for magecraft she had inherited.

"I'll be fine," said Shirou, smiling a foolish smile. "I just don't want you in any more danger."

The conflicting feelings swirled in Sakura, and she had to stay silent. She was slightly hurt at Shirou's directness, but simultaneously she was touched that the boy she loved was trying to protect her. The latter feeling won out, and quickly, Sakura stood up.

"I'll get Onee-ch – … I'll get Rin to help you, whatever it is. Please be careful, Senpai!"

"Thanks. She's a much better Magus than me, anyway," he said, turning to jog to the shed, now increasing in its intensity of light. Sakura dashed back inside the house, her heart aflutter.

Sliding open the double doors, only recently repaired, Shirou winced and recoiled as the unobstructed light burned into his retinas. Tears streaming, he waited to open his eyes as he was aware of the glare gradually fading. What Shirou saw next was eerily familiar: _A magic circle! The same one that appeared when I summoned Saber!_

"Shirou! What's going onnnn out heeeere…?" Taiga, unmistakably plastered, called from behind him, flanked by Sakura, supporting her teacher, and Rin, hunched and surreptitiously readying her hand in a spell-casting position.

"Fuji-nee, you shouldn't be out here! It's –" Shirou's words were truncated by a sudden, loud rumbling, and a decisively bright flash. As his vision faded back for a second time, Shirou saw none other than the woman he thought was lost to him forever, sent back to the eternal halls of timeless heroism.

"Saber?"

The short, green-eyed woman bound to him as a Servant seemed to slowly take note of her surroundings. Her blue dress swished as she took half a step back, and her blonde hair gleamed in the room's quickly-fading light.

"Shirou… It's you."

Her words were firm, but steeped in wonder, and Saber gave a smile much wider than Shirou would have expected from the stoic warrior. Seconds passed, and Taiga hiccupped, breaking a kind of spell.

"Saber!"

Shirou grunted in pain and a flash of red bowled him over, sending him smacking into the wall. Rin paused for half a heartbeat, then threw her arms around the wide-eyed Saber.

"Oh!" was all Saber could say.

"Oh…" said Rin, tensing up immediately, and slowing breaking her embrace.

"Emiya…" Rin began, looking at Shirou sprawled against the shed's wall, half-senseless in a heap. She was shaking with indignation, hands balled into fists. By contrast, Saber could have turned to stone. What both women had in common was a fiercely red coloration.

"Rin," said Shirou weakly, coughing and trying to right himself. "Are you drunk? Fuji-nee didn't slip you any sake, did she?"

"You… You… you, you, _you_!" Rin's shaking grew more violent, and Saber could only gape in horror behind her. With a decisive stride, Rin kicked back her black-clad leg and drove it forward into Shirou's ribs.

"You pathetic excuse for a Magus!" she screamed.

"Onee-chan, please stop!" Sakura called, starting forward, and desperately trying to separate two people she loved.

Taiga sat crosslegged, regarding the night sky through almost-closed eyes.

"That foreign girl is back, is she?" she slurred, and tittered good-naturedly.


	6. Campaigns

The atmosphere at the house was altered, but no less joyful for Saber's reappearance. Taiga, having finally been overcome by drink, managed to hug a bemused Saber and mumble "Good to see you again, Blondie," before collapsing in the guest room. The three allies in the last Grail War sat tensely around the low table while Sakura put her inebriated teacher to bed.

"But… how…"

Saber gave her usual conservative smile as Shirou was unable to complete his query.

"I don't know what happened, myself. The last thing I remember is destroying the tainted Grail and saying goodbye to you, Shirou. It is just like the gap in memory I had between the previous two Grail Wars."

"I'm so glad to see you back, Saber," said Rin, gesticulating with her arms as she sat with her legs under her. Saber blushed as she remembered Rin's warm welcome, but managed to extend an arm and take the young sorceress's hand.

"Thank you, Rin," said Saber, as Rin looked with reverence into her flushed face.

"Rin, do you think that a new Holy Grail War has somehow begun?" asked Shirou, somewhat irritably. He was determined not to be ignored.

"No, I don't. But… if anyone would know at this point, it's the Mages' Association, headed in London. The thing is, since Kirei betrayed us, I'm not even sure I can trust them to give us the whole truth."

Rin fell back on her haunches, drew up her black-clad knees to her face, and gave a sardonic smile.

"So many Magi have deceived me... Kirei, Mother, Father… You can understand, Emiya, that I have a hard time trusting our kind. We're motivated by things beyond the scope of common rationality or kindness. The greatest Magi are those who have no amiable ties to anyone."

"That can't be true!" said Shirou. "My dad was a great man who just wanted to protect others, and he was a Magus. And Rin… You're better at sorcery than I'll ever be, and I know for certain that you're a good person."

Rin raised her head to Shirou, her mouth slightly agape.

"There was no doubt in my mind after you rescued Sakura from that witch," he continued. "You even got stabbed when you were saving her. That's how I know you're someone who puts family and friends above their own ambition."

"He's saying he thinks you're a valuable comrade. You should be proud, Rin," said Saber, unmoving from her reserved posture. "_I_ am proud to be allied with such noble Magi as you two."

"Geez, cut it out, you guys! This is too much!" Rin cried, holding her hands up to her burning cheeks.

The sliding door opened wide, and Sakura came into view, evenly balancing a tray with four cups of tea.

"Hi, Senpai, Saber, Rin! I thought we could use some tea while catching up –"

Sakura stopped just after placing the tray down.

"Oh, sorry… is something the matter?"

"No! No, it's… it's okay, Sakura," said Rin hurriedly, wiping her eyes with her sleeve and straining an artificially relaxed look. "It's just all such a shock that Saber has come back to us all of a sudden, you know?"

Accepting this, Sakura lowered herself onto a cushion, sitting with her legs folded to one side, smiling wistfully.

"Yeah, I understand," she said, turning her face toward Saber. "I missed you too, Saber."

Desperately wanting to drive the conversation somewhere else, Rin quickly tried to get her little sister to see the gravity of Saber's appearance, without spelling out the implications that she thought would upset her.

"Well, uh, Sakura-chan," Rin began. "The three of us were just talking about what it means that Saber is back. And… how that… applies to us and whether there's going to be more fighting…"

"Rin, you don't have to mince words in front of me. I'm as involved in the Holy Grail Wars as all of you. Please… I think I have a right to be a part of the discussion." Sakura's mouth was a thin line, and her eyes, though stern, gave Rin an impression that Sakura knew her big sister wanted to protect her.

"Sakura," said Rin, finally regaining the composure she was used to having. "You're right. Listen, Saber doesn't know why she's returned, either. No one is left in Fuyuki City, and well, possibly Japan, who knows the details of the Holy Grail Wars and their Servants and Masters. So…"

Rin looked quickly at Saber and Shirou, who nodded encouragingly.

"The Mages' Association in London," she continued, "should be able to tell us what's going on, since they originally sanctioned the first Holy Grail War."

"Okay," said Sakura, nodding seriously. "Then we need to talk to them."

"Rin doesn't think we can trust them, Sakura," said Shirou, prompting a glare from Rin.

"Well, Senpai," said Sakura, with the usual softness in her voice. "How do we know for sure we can't trust them? This is a group that oversees Magi all over the world, isn't it?"

Shirou was taken aback at hearing his younger friend speak frankly about matters he had tried to protect her from throughout the conflict between Masters. Then he thought to himself that Sakura was indeed a part of the hidden world that he and Rin lived in. Sakura had come from the same Magus household as Rin, had suffered for it, and had even been abducted as a part of the Grail War.

"Couldn't you send a letter, Rin?" said Sakura, taking her sister's hand. "Just to tell them what happened, and ask if there's anything we need to worry about?"

Rin felt her uncertain feelings melt along with her heart as she looked into the deep purple wells of Sakura's eyes.

"There are some questions I'd like to ask the Association, too," Sakura added.

"All right, I think Sakura's on the right page," said Rin to Saber and Shirou, emboldened by her sister's fortitude. "It's the safest thing we can do at this point, and reaching out to the Mage's Association is the only course of action that's really possible for us, anyway. I'll get started writing the letter tomorrow."

Shirou snorted.

"A real letter?" he said teasingly. "The Mages' Association must be steeped in a lot of arcane stuff, but don't they have email?"

Rin spun to glare at Shirou again.

"It's not a simple matter to contact the Association, Emiya," she said in a condescending voice. "A physical letter has to be sent, written in a certain way, and delivered through certain channels; otherwise, they talk to no one. This isn't like ordering something online, you know."

Shirou slouched, feeling like a plebeian compared to the Tohsaka family head. Sakura tried her best not to giggle, her hand moving up to cover her mouth. Saber's mien was unchanged, focused fixedly on Rin.

"If I have a lasting purpose to remain in this world," said Saber, "I want to understand what it is I should be doing."

Shirou looked at the three women and let himself be swept into their resolve.

"Okay, let's do it. It's better than being in the dark, right?" He grinned, and locked eyes with Sakura, who gave him a look that filled his chest with warmth.

* * *

That night was a hot one, and though Sakura was comfortably asleep, curled up on her futon, Rin and Saber were stirred into sitting out on the porch, armed with water bottles and folding fans. Having changed into a yukata, befitting the season, Saber didn't mind indulging Rin's burning questions about her final battle with Gilgamesh, and she appeared somewhat flattered at the praising expressions the young Magus was giving her. Inevitably, their conversation turned to Gilgamesh's Master.

"Kirei was a Master as well as an 'impartial' judge in the Holy Grail War," said Rin bitterly. "Not only that, but he sustained his Servant on human souls. That in itself is unforgivable."

"Rin," said Saber apprehensively. "If there is fighting to be done on the horizon, whether it's another Grail War or not, I will need mana. I… don't want to eat souls, but if there is absolutely no other choice to prevent you and the others from being hurt –"

"Saber, please don't speak of such things."

"I… I'm not sure of my current status as a Servant. Shirou has used all his command seals up, and my bond to him was released, so… I'm not even sure he will be an adequate source of mana if I need it."

Saber blushed, and tried hiding part of her face behind her fan.

"There are other ways, Saber. As a Magus, I can find a way for you to help restore your mana as needed."

"That's very kind, Rin, but… since you're no longer a Master with her own Servant, are you really fine with that?"

"Saber… You don't understand."

"Rin?"

"Archer and I… we were comrades, but I never felt anything for him like my sister feels for Shirou. Surely you must have seen that between them."

Saber gave a terse smile and shifted the weight on her knees.

"Of course, Rin. With some embarrassment, I could tell my presence had a kind of… distracting effect on Shirou. But I've spent enough time at this house to see the bond he has with Sakura, too. That's the sort of bond that forms over years, and only gets stronger with time. I have no right to interfere with that."

Touched, Rin was left speechless as she was freshly appreciative of Saber's nobility. It was this chivalrous aspect to Saber's personality that drew Rin to her, and she was in equal awe of Saber's knightly virtue and strong beauty.

_She's amazing_, Rin mused, stealing a glance at Saber's firm, yet compassionate and soulful European features. _What a woman._

Rin and Saber spoke long into the night, until exhaustion got the better of them, and they retired to the same room as the gently sleeping Sakura.

The next morning, Taiga hadn't yet emerged from her bedroom, and the others were finishing a hearty breakfast. Shirou, as per his old habit, checked for mail, and surprised everyone by announcing a letter that they had received from Ilya. Rin was the first to pluck it from his hand and tear open the envelope. Rin hesitated for a few seconds after scanning the text, and then, glancing at Shirou with a toothy smirk, she read aloud, stumbling a little in reading the inexpertly-scrawled kanji:

_Hello, Shirou and his harem!_

_I'm returning to Germany soon for some important business, so it makes me sad that I won't get to see your faces for a while! Especially you, Shirou. Just so you know, I've forgiven you for seeing me in my nakedness; I know you were just trying to help and take me home. But honestly, how does a lady like myself react when a strapping young man bundles her up in nothing but a sheet and rides off with her into the night? I've given it some thought, and I've decided that the only course of action is a proper date this time. Hopefully this will let me regain some of my honor! This Saturday at 2:30 PM, I had an idea to meet up at the indoor waterpark at Fuyuki Plaza. It'll be fun! We can go on the slides (tandem, maybe? heehee), swim in the wave pool, and finally try that curry I've been hearing such good things about! So please bring all of your friends with you. I think it's only fair that they have a good time and give me a proper goodbye. Yes, it's a goodbye, but not one that lasts forever, dear Shirou!_

_Please R.S.V.P.!_

_Yours,_

_Illyasviel von Einzbern_

_P.S. My two maids from the castle are coming along, but don't get any funny ideas, Shirou! You're all mine!_

Rin truly couldn't resist sharing. Having finished reading, she surveyed the impact Ilya's words made in the room. Rin had just gone over Shirou's conflicted features when she heard a light thud to her left.

"Rin, let's give them a good sendoff," said Sakura, her palms on the table, her brows crossed in a frown, and her sweet voice perfectly even.


	7. Mermaid

"Here you go, Sakura. It should fit you," said Rin, confident in her selection. "Don't worry, I really have an eye for these things."

Measuring Sakura for a new swimsuit had been painless, but taking Saber's measurements had been decidedly awkward. Besides the suppressed excitement Rin felt at being so close to Saber's body, she had gotten a sense of discomfort from the object of her measuring.

The appointed day of Illyasviel's unambiguously-worded pool date had arrived, and the three invited girls were preparing to leave from Rin's house, with Shirou pressured by her in no uncertain terms to meet them separately. Rin had announced to Sakura and Saber that she'd be in charge of getting them some swimwear, and that there would be no refusals of the offer. Sakura was receptive and enthusiastic, but Saber, bewildered, had made no requests and asked Rin to choose whatever seemed best.

"Oh, Onee-chan, it's lovely," said Sakura, looking delighted as she examined the two pieces of her gift. The swimsuit was a soft pink that gorgeously complemented the girl's purple hair and eyes.

"You don't mind it?"

"No, I love it!"

"Just put it on like underwear, basically," said Rin, doubting that her sister had worn a string bikini before. "Uh, except these ties… they're done up like shoelaces."

"Geez, Onee-chan, you make me feel like a little kid," said Sakura, covering her mouth as she giggled. "But thank you, Rin, very much."

Planting a soft kiss on Rin's cheek, Sakura moved to her room to try her suit on, and Rin went on to find Saber. To her surprise and delight, Saber was waiting in Rin's own room. It seemed as though she had entered by mistake, Saber not being familiar with the Tohsaka house.

"Rin, what is this… garment?" asked Saber, her stance uneasy as she stepped back to observe the white and blue-beribboned swimsuit hanging on the wall.

"It's a bikini. Yeah, you must have never had anything like it in your time," said Rin. "I guess it's rare that anyone from your era was even able to swim, much less would they wear anything in the water if they could."

"Indeed, learning to avoid drowning was part of my training as a warrior," said Saber. "But, are you saying that people here wear this… while they go swimming? It's so small."

Rin smiled softly as Saber blushed, her face reddening without her losing her kingly posture or bearing. It had occurred to Rin in advance that Saber possibly learned to swim at a young age before becoming king. Also, her time in the present as the Servant of Shirou doubtless made Saber more aware of being a woman than she had been in her first life. Still, it was ironic that she should be more embarrassed over wearing a two-piece swimsuit than swimming naked.

_S__he _is_ an ancient __Briton_, Rin thought to herself. _Her perspective should be different from us modern-day Japanese._

"Want some help trying it on, Saber?" Rin asked innocently, betrayed by her sly expression.

"No! I'll… do it myself. It doesn't look too complicated."

Hesitantly moving to the spacious closet, Saber took the white bandeau and matching bikini bottom, switching the light on and going in. Rin graciously waited to one side, out of view.

"All done, Saber? Let me see how it worked out!" said Rin, sensing that Saber was finished changing.

Her lightly-muscled but petite frame only hinting at the formidable Epic Spirit she really was, Saber shyly stepped toward Rin. She didn't meet her gaze as she drew her arms across her chest and below her waist.

"Rin, this is… embarrassing. I'm barely wearing anything."

"It's just the fashion these days," said Rin, grinning with eyes closed.

"But, you can see my navel."

"What's the matter, Saber? Emiya told me you didn't even think of yourself as a woman, so why are you worried about showing off your awesome figure?"

Saber blanched slightly, and the redness in her cheeks receded.

"I… I just…" For once, the swordswoman was at a loss for words. _How can I tell her that it's different around Shirou?_ she thought. _He and I were Master and Servant, true comrades-in-arms. With Rin…_

Remembering the time that Shirou caught her in the bath, Saber reflected upon her past stoicism. If it had been Rin that saw her unclothed… Saber was debating whether she would have wanted to cover herself or ask the girl to join her. There was something unique about this Magus girl. Being alone with Rin gave Saber feelings that she didn't fully understand.

"If you're worried about how you look, you shouldn't be," said Rin, bringing Saber back to reality. "I think you look really, really good."

Saber felt the uncomfortable sensation melt away as her bright green eyes locked with Rin's brilliant blue ones. She blushed again, but this time from a warmth that Saber tried not to think much of.

"Well, thank you, Rin," said Saber. "I suppose we had better go join the others soon."

_It shouldn't be so bad after all,_ Saber thought. _If I'm with Rin._

* * *

Getting to the plaza at the promised time, the three girls encountered Shirou by happenstance. To their collective surprise, he was accompanied by Taiga Fujimura.

"Fuji-nee saw the letter, and she insisted on 'chaperoning'," Shirou said sheepishly. Taiga was warmly greeting each girl in turn.

"Hey, there, Saber! Say, are you familiar with this Illyas-whoever? Uh, not that I'm implying all foreigners know each other! Hahahahaha!"

Taiga ran her mouth, made an excuse of changing and entering to secure a table and curry for lunch, and practically zipped through the entrance.

Shirou scanned his female companions to gauge their reactions. Saber appeared confused, and Sakura just looked pleased to have another familiar face with them.

"Sorry," Shirou said to Rin, who seemed slightly irritated. "She's only here to have fun. I hope Ilya doesn't mind."

At the mention of their young friend's name, Rin smiled.

"Oh, no," she said. "I'm sure she wouldn't. Besides, an unexpected guest will add a bit of excitement for her, huh?"

Going through the changerooms wasn't an ordeal, though Sakura and Saber exited first, giving Rin a bit more time by her request. Coming into the waterpark proper, they immediately saw three silver-haired women, the shortest of whom was cackling and jumping up and down very close to Shirou.

"Ooh, Shirou, it's so wonderful you could make it!" said Ilya with glee. These are my maids, Sella and Leyritt; I thought it was important that you meet them eventually, you know?"

The two maids stood a healthy distance behind their mistress, uncommonly still. They looked out of place in their bright swimwear, watching Ilya, who was dressed in a childish but revealing lilac bikini.

Again, Saber wasn't sure how to react to the gregarious Ilya. Looking over at Sakura, she was not surprised to see her companion's face darkened, lowering her gaze and clutching her small hands into fists.

"Whoa, the fun's already started, I see." Rin had quietly come from behind, making Sakura and Saber turn. She was dressed in a swimsuit of her favorite color, a vibrant red bikini with a halterneck.

"Onee-chan!" exclaimed Sakura, pointing to Rin's bare midriff. "You're all healed! There's not even a scar!"

Only slightly self-conscious, Rin smirked and dragged her palm across her smooth stomach.

"I still have a whole lot of gems left over, you know. Anyway, getting rid of a scar like that is a piece of cake for a Magus like me. Right, Shirou?"

"Uh…" intoned the only male in the surroundings. Shirou was still being attacked by Ilya, who was laughing and trying her best to put her arms all the way around his neck. Rin's white teeth shone in the sunlight, and Shirou scratched his head, trying not to make eye contact as he remembered Rin saving his life from Lancer.

_Those jewels can't be cheap_, Shirou thought, desperately trying to think of Rin's kindness as the scantily-clad Ilya continued to manhandle him.

"Meine Dame, that's enough, I think," said Sella, stepping forward to peel her young mistress off Shirou. She was perhaps motivated by Rin's and Sakura's building scowls.

Regarding the other Einzbern maid, Rin wasn't sure what to make of her. Standing somewhat like a mannequin in her swimsuit, Leysritt said very little unless Ilya spoke to her. The halting, simplistic speech of this Teutonic maid went beyond just a poor command of Japanese, Rin thought.

"Leysritt, have you found some chairs for us?" Ilya asked, surrendering herself to Sella's tight hug.

"Yes… Meine Dame… Come… Follow."

Looking at Sakura and Shirou as they followed the maids, Rin could tell that they didn't seem overly focused on the collective oddity of their three pale-haired hosts. Shirou kept shooting apologetic glances toward Sakura, who hung her head and blushed.

_She really does have a lot of patience,_ he thought, seeing his admirer smile with her head bent. _Sakura… All the years we've known each other, I never thought you'd look so great in a bikini… I wish I could tell you that._

_That flirty brat is like a wild animal_, Rin thought. She was looking forward to the outing too much to be overly concerned about any stunts Ilya might try to pull. At least Sella looked like a sensible chaperone, intervening when the little girl got embarrassing.

"Oh, Shirou, everybody! Yoo-hoo!"

Coincidently, Leysritt was claiming a table adjacent to one where Taiga was already sitting, wolfing down a nearly-empty plate of curry. The teacher was in a strapless yellow bikini patterned with black stripes, which had Shirou fighting back a laugh. He wondered whether his old friend was aware of any connection it had to her hated nickname. Seeing Ilya among them, Taiga stood up and looked down to the girl's level.

"Oh, hiya, Ilya!" she said. "I should have known that it was you who made out the invitation! I'm just really bad with Western names, though, you know? Hahahaha!"

Ilya pouted, her arms behind her back. Before she could say anything, Taiga rambled on.

"Wow, that's a really cute bikini… Wish I had one like that when I was your age!"

At this, Ilya beamed, her arms pressed to her small chest as she did a half-pirouette.

"Oh, thanks, Miss Taiga! I don't think it's as pretty as yours, though. But Miss Matou's is the sexiest!"

Automatically, Taiga pivoted to ogle Sakura, who was slow in covering her ample chest and looking away.

"M-Miss Matou…"

Without another word, Taiga returned to her seat and violently finished her curry, fuming that one of her students should have a larger bust than her, and that she should only be _noticing this now_…

The group sat down at their tables to contemplate lunch. Picking up on Saber's discomfort, Rin gently took her by the arm, saying that the two of them were headed to the wave pool. The rest of the party agreed to make for the slides.

"Ooh, look! You _can_ tandem slide here!" said Ilya with glee. The silver-haired lass pointed to a signpost that led to another up a flight of stairs. Several imposing waterslides towered overhead.

Taiga's bitterness seemed to dissipate instantly.

"Woo hoo! I'm going on the tallest, scariest one first!"

"Fuji-nee, you just ate. Shouldn't you wait for a –" began Shirou.

"Bah, that's just an old wives' tale!" said Taiga, her immutable grin reflecting her unstoppable gait up the stairs.

"She's just like a little kid," said Ilya, amused.

"Always has been," responded Shirou.

Shirou, Sakura, Ilya, and Sella and Leysritt all lined up behind Taiga, though she ducked to the back as soon as the others came to her. This left Shirou in the front, who crouched into position, waiting for the signal to slide.

"Wait… Hold on, Senpai," said Sakura, coming up from the rear.

Before Shirou knew it, Sakura had sat down behind him, and crossed her arms tight across his front. Shirou froze as he felt two soft mounds pressing into his back, covered only by a thin bikini top.

A split second later, Sakura pushed forward, and the rushing water provided the momentum that carried the two over the lip of the slide.

"Miss Matou!" hollered Taiga in disbelief and anguish.

"No fair!" cried Ilya, jumping up and down.

Though he was dumbfounded at Sakura's move, Shirou was altogether pleased that the two of them were doing this. He felt as though he and Sakura had had little time to spend with one another as in the old days. Though his chivalry prevented Shirou from getting physically close to Sakura, he did not deny the pleasure he felt in being embraced by her, her soft frame pressed into his back.

Passing through the winding loops and covered sections, Shirou found himself laughing after his initial surprise. Sakura was laughing, too; a full-bodied feminine laugh that suited her as well as the pink swimsuit she wore. The speed was practically audible as Shirou gaped at the oncoming pool, dead ahead. At last, through Sakura's gasps, Shirou heard a distinctive giggle.

"Don't move, Senpai!"

Sakura redoubled her grip across Shirou's chest, and a fraction of a second later, they blasted through the water's surface. The impact tossed Shirou head over heels, and he was aware of the warm weight at his back lifting as Sakura let go. Instinctively, Shirou opened his eyes and looked behind, concerned that she might have hit something solid. There was nothing in view but a mass of tiny bubbles and the pale blue of the pool's tile.

And then Shirou saw a flash of pink and purple as Sakura drifted gracefully before him. She wasn't madly paddling or flailing about, but gently riding the fading momentum of their slide, kicking her legs slowly and deliberately. Gradually, in what could have been hours, Shirou saw Sakura draw towards him, smiling sweetly. The control and direction she had in the water was remarkable.

_Just like a mermaid_, Shirou thought. Had he not been underwater, Shirou would have spoken Sakura's name; not to keep from her swimming into him, but because he felt like he should acknowledge and call out for her.

With the two having been underwater for seemingly a long time, Sakura matched her gaze to Shirou's own, and jerked forward into his arms. Tenderly, with more infinitesimal movements than Shirou thought possible, his purple-haired mermaid brought her lips to his. The dull roar of their surroundings blocked out everything but the feeling of closeness and completeness for the two of them as Shirou and Sakura ascended toward the shimmering surface.


	8. Healing Touch

With an excuse related to her teaching duties, Taiga made a hasty retreat after expressing thanks for an unexpected, but enjoyable meet-up. Having dressed, Ilya said nothing, but daringly gave Shirou a kiss on the cheek before running off giggling, her maids in tow. Shirou blushed, but stood firm, feeling the reassuring weight of Sakura on his arm. She was equally calm, and her smile reflected the unshakable security she felt next to him.

With Taiga gone home, Rin bid farewell to Sakura and Shirou for the night, and set off for her own house, taking a visibly flustered Saber with her. Rin spoke of no clear reason for this, but gave her sister a penetrating look and a smile before turning and leaving the two to themselves.

Sakura had been by Shirou's bedside before, when he was sick, not long after the two of them met. The atmosphere of this night was decidedly different than when the young Sakura had tended to him. Now the two were grown in mind and body, and had been connected by the experiences of the previous month like nothing ever before. Each was correct in assuming that that other was nervous, and so they sat close on the tatami in the near-darkness, wondering what to say.

"Senpai… Can I…"

"Yes?"

"Can I…"

"What is it, Sakura?"

Screwing up her lovely face, Sakura shut her eyes tightly.

"Let me call you Shirou!" she said forcefully, her face blushing fiercely.

"Uh…" Shirou was expecting a more physical request, but as an uneasy smile formed on his face, he thought that this was intimate as well, in another way.

"Of course you can," he said, stroking Sakura's burning cheek. The girl was looking up at him with a sort of beseeching expression.

"Shirou," began Sakura, bringing her hands to her face. "You should know that… I'm not a virgin."

She may have been expecting him to be angry, for she looked at him curiously as the words tumbled out of her mouth.

"How long ago, Sakura?" Shirou asked, carefully. She saw his eyes fill with something like dread, brittle and pained, belying the fortitude of his voice.

"I was… I was just a child," she replied, and Shirou's stomach turned. "I didn't want it… It hurt so much, and it happened again and again, so many times after…"

"Sakura," said Shirou, seeing the young woman trembling harder, hearing her voice get higher. He put an arm around her shoulder.

"…Shirou," she whispered, taking his hand. "They… I can't bring myself to tell you what they did to me. I haven't even told Onee-chan about it."

"Shhh, it's all right."

He drew Sakura closer and moved his other arm, stroking her quaking back.

"Sakura, I'm going to confess something to you," said Shirou. "I didn't get to choose when I had sex for the first time, or who it was with."

The girl in his arms stiffened.

"It's because I'm a Magus, or at least, I was trying to be a hero by being one. But I didn't have any choice; my comrades and I would have been killed if I didn't take part in the ritual. Believe me, I didn't want to be forced into the Holy Grail Wars, but it happened, and I did what I had to in order to survive."

Shirou faltered in his speech, thinking of how to continue. He was aware that his encounter with Saber, though under duress, was a world of difference from the unnatural abuses heaped on Sakura over the years. Ever since the truth of the girl's childhood was alluded to with the revelation of her kinship to Rin, it was all Shirou could do to master his rage and disgust in his private moments.

Drawing back so that the couple was looking one another in the eye, Sakura formed a shaky smile, and said "I believe you… It's not fair what happened to you."

"No, but never mind me; I can't even imagine what kind of hell you've been going through for so many years. It makes me… makes me hurt. I feel awful that I couldn't have helped you; that this was happening without me knowing it. But, Sakura…"

"Shirou?"

Taking her chin in his hand, Shirou looked downwards into the depths of Sakura's purple eyes.

"The nightmare's over now. No one will ever touch you again. I promise I'll protect you from now on. There are a lot of people who love you and want to keep you happy, you know. There's Rin, Saber, Fuji-nee… and there's me. Since we were kids, I've always wanted you to keep smiling. You know that."

"I… I want _you_ to touch me… if you don't mind that I've been so used already."

Tilting his head, Shirou ran a hand through Sakura's hair.

"Sakura… _I_ still think that you're a virgin. None of what happened before was your choice, was it? You didn't like it at all, did you?"

She shook her head, sprinkling her tears.

"It's okay… Sakura, you're the purest, most beautiful person I know," Shirou said. "Everything is going to be all right."

"Do you promise you won't be disappointed?" Sakura said, her voice quiet, but pleading in the silent room.

"How could I possibly be? Sakura, I love you. I feel honored to be the one you want to share yourself with."

At this, Sakura inhaled, blushing harder than ever before.

"I only hope I can meet your expectations," said Shirou, with a sheepish grin.

"Shirou, don't worry," said Sakura, moving up and forward, folding her arms around him. "The only thing I want is your warmth, and your gentleness. What I always expect from my Senpai."

These words awoke something in Shirou, even more profound than the intense affection he had been feeling. Taking her head carefully in his hands, Shirou kissed Sakura softer and more sweetly than he ever thought he could manage. Through the warmth of their connection, Shirou was vaguely aware of himself slowly lowering Sakura onto the futon. After, the two of them were lost in a swirl of caresses.

Shirou had his eyes closed, was barely aware of his own body being so close to Sakura's. Then, as he pulled away from another kiss, Shirou heard labored breathing, and felt the soft body under him tremble.

"Sakura? What's wrong?"

"Shi-Shirou… I-I-I…"

She looked terrified. Deeply concerned, Shirou moved away, and was about to stand up when a soft hand grabbed his wrist.

"No," she said softly. Her voice was now even, but the girl's body continued to shake. Shirou's eyes travelled across Sakura's white and silky skin reflecting the moonlight. By now, she was only wearing a bra and panties as she lay on the futon, and Shirou wondered if she was just cold.

"Please, Shirou," Sakura continued. "Please don't hold my arms down like that."

It was then that Shirou noticed that he had been pressing Sakura's arms down into the bedding, with his free hand now being held at the wrist by her cold but tight grip.

"I'm sorry…"

Sakura had stopped trembling, but her voice was cracking again, and tears welled up in the corners of her large soulful eyes.

"I'm sorry, Shirou… I want to keep going, I do… It's just when you do that, it reminds me of… of…"

With a sick heart, Shirou looked beyond Sakura's beautiful sad face and imagined the sneering visage of Shinji Matou. The boy he once called friend. It was just an instantaneous thought, but Shirou let the white-hot anger move through him, accepting it, and letting it gradually burn out. Shinji was dead, after all. This night was about Shirou and Sakura, no one else.

"Should I stop?" he said, drawing back his arms uncertainly.

"No," Sakura said quickly, grasping Shirou's arm with her other hand. "I don't want to be the one getting in the way… Please, Shirou. I really want to be with you. So close."

"It's okay… It's okay, really," said Shirou, placing his hands at either side of Sakura's slender waist instead. Her bare flesh was wondrously soft, and alive with the warmth of a survivor. "Sakura, you know I'd never hurt you… Just tell me what you want and don't want, and I'll listen. This is _our_ night, and I'm leaving what happens up to you."

The two lovers were in no rush, taking their time as they divested one another of all clothes. Shirou expected Sakura to be slightly self-conscious, but he saw that she was focused only on running her hands over him. Naked and pressed against each other, the joy both of them felt was fueled and echoed by the expressions of bliss on their faces.

Shirou took a moment to gaze at Sakura's body as she lay on her side next to him. For as long as he knew her, Shirou considered his younger friend pretty, but didn't think of her with lust. Now, the small, voluptuous form of Sakura, sprawled naked in front of him, made Shirou understand that his dear friend was also a mature blossom of a young woman. This woman had always loved him deeply, and her shapely body was calling, desiring to touch and to be touched.

Sakura rested regally on her side, moving a fair hand absently over her beloved's back. Shirou continued to admire Sakura; her contented blushing face, her full breasts, her pale, smooth belly tapering down into an equally smooth pubic mound and vulva, becoming ever warmer and slick with nectar. Shirou traced all of these with his slightly-shaking hands, eliciting small gasps from Sakura which gave way to sighs.

One hand following the curve of Sakura's raised hip, Shirou brushed his lover's thighs with his other hand, barely grazing her skin with his fingertips. Shirou reached up and stroked Sakura's stomach erratically, feeling it rise and fall. His hand descended without warning, and she yelped as Shirou flicked her clitoris with the gentlest motion.

"Ah! Shirou…"

Sakura embraced his upper body, guiding Shirou's face to her ample breasts as she lowered herself onto her back. Sakura murmured pledges of love as Shirou sucked tenderly but forcefully on her nipples. Almost unconsciously, she wrapped her long legs around Shirou's torso, drawing him closer. Sakura felt a light prodding between her thighs, connecting with the wet folds of her opening.

Shirou raised his head, locking eyes with the girl beneath him. Without a word, she nodded, and drew her arms and legs tighter around him. Entering her, he heard a sharp intake of breath as Sakura moved her head back and looked at him again. There was no sign of discomfort on her face; only intense pleasure and reverence. Starting to move in a rhythm, Shirou gripped Sakura's hand tight and could not help but smile as he kissed her again and again. Seeing the reverie etched into her face made Shirou understand just how profound Sakura's happiness and fulfillment had become.

The drawn-out bliss for both partners intensified. Sakura felt the pressure of a coming orgasm from under her navel, and with joy, arched her back and quickly embraced her beloved even tighter. Seeing his lover so enraptured, and feeling Sakura's vagina now clamp down harder on his member, Shirou lost his composure and ejaculated.

"Mmm… Shirou, it's… Ah…"

Sakura's hips continued to move upwards toward her partner as her first orgasm wound down. The hot stream of semen flowing into her cut through the heavenly sensations and her already heated body.

"So warm…" Sakura said hazily. The sensation of her beloved Shirou ejaculating inside her became too much, and she felt another orgasm building. Hurriedly, Sakura pumped her hips to not lose the momentum, her ears full of the mixture of panting from herself and Shirou, joined as one.

"Shirou…" she breathed, silent tears dripping from her glowing face. Sakura's hand reached up and lightly stroked the back of Shirou's head, gently expressing her love as the rebounding waves of pleasure coursed through her body.

They made love three times, resting in each other's arms in the intervals, and speaking fewer and fewer soft words. Finally, as Shirou felt like he was drifting off to sleep with Sakura pressed against him, a light sniffling came to his ears.

"Shirou…" Sakura's tears were flowing freely now, but she barely made a sound.

"Sakura?"

"They hurt me. They've hurt me since I was a little girl."

Shirou immediately had a lump in his throat that he couldn't swallow.

"So, I might not… I might not be able to have your children!" she burst out, trembling.

Shirou was dumbstruck, unsure of how to react. Immediately, his mind went to his foolishly foregoing a condom for this passionate encounter.

"Sakura," he said, treading carefully with his words. "We're too young to be worrying about that, don't you think?"

"But… one day…"

"Yes, one day." Shirou said, smiling. "Look, you and I will always be happy together, whatever happens."

Raising her tear-stained face, Sakura looked as though she were grasping for the right words. Making it simple for her, Shirou moved in with a tight hug, letting Sakura wrap her own arms around him, feeling her silent sobbing.

"Oh, Shirou… Senpai… I've waited so long. So long for this."


	9. Sunlight and Breeze

"Uh, Saber, the bath is ready. Would you like to go first?"

"No… Just go ahead, Rin. I'm not quite ready" came the voice from the living room.

Wondering what Saber meant by that, Rin slowly shut the bathroom door and started disrobing.

_Today was so fun_, she thought, gingerly placing a foot in the hot water, just to test it. Turning around, Rin went to the opposite wall and used the shower head to start rinsing off.

The Tohsaka family home was a Western-style mansion built nearly a century ago, but the bathroom was appropriately Japanese. The tub was even large enough for two or three people. With melancholy, Rin recalled taking baths with her mother or her father here when she was a child. In the early years, Sakura had joined them too, until abruptly, she left the home and the Tohsaka name. It wasn't long after that the young Rin always avoided bathing with her father, saying she was "too old" and "too much of a lady now".

Grudgingly, the proud little girl tolerated her mother's presence in the bath, but that was only because her womanly physique put her daughter at ease. Rin had felt more comfortable around her own sex for a long time, even after entering puberty. If pressed on this matter, she may have summoned memories of her little sister being led away from her, flanked by gaunt men with sunken eyes. Rin remembered the wrinkled man with bluish skin sitting in the waiting car, his papery lips curved into a sneer, and Sakura wailing as she tried in vain to break free. Rin's father gave an absent smile and a cursory wave to his second daughter before walking away.

Something had changed in Rin once her sister was disowned. As a young girl, she didn't experience the gradually building sorrow and longing for Sakura that came later. There was initial shock at the younger sister's departure, yes, but Rin turned those feelings on their head, resolving even then to study magic, sorcery, and the arts of the Magi as best she could. Once she became the only child of the family, Rin was moved to succeed, to be independent, and to become the best. In that way… maybe her parents wouldn't feel the need to get rid of her, too.

These heavy thoughts, feelings of lingering sadness and regret, didn't trouble Rin as she sank into the soothing water. Now, content with the hot soak and the good things she knew had happened between her sister and Shirou, Rin reflected on the day's events.

_The two of them seemed even closer when we got back to Emiya's place,_ Rin thought. She recalled a shared nervousness between Sakura and Shirou, different from the shyness that comes with youth. Sakura was wringing her hands when Rin saw her last, at the door of Shirou's house, but her beaming smile and flushed face told Rin that something wonderful had occurred. It was this unspoken assertion that moved Rin to quietly leave her sister to be with the man she herself grudgingly admired, on his home turf. It's what Rin thought that Sakura deserved, and what she would have wanted herself… if she had that kind of an interest in men.

It was true, Rin had felt for years that it was feminine personality and the feminine body that really excited her. She knew vaguely that this went against the Catholic faith she was brought up with. Then again, Christianity and sorcery didn't traditionally see eye-to-eye, either. Over the years, Rin had felt about as ambivalent towards religion as she had towards men. Following the death of her parents, Kirei Kotomine had acted as her guardian, but he never expected Rin to live up to the values he espoused as a priest. He was simply an adult to depend on… _and ultimately a traitor_, she thought bitterly.

Turning her mind toward more uplifting things, Rin smiled and brought her arms up to rest on the lip of the tub, remembering the way everyone was enjoying themselves today. Sakura seemed to really like her new swimsuit, and she looked great in it, even though Rin thought she'd have requested something more conservative to wear. As for Saber…

Rin opened her eyes as she remembered with great relish Saber's embarrassment and the adorable sexiness she exuded in her white swimsuit.

_I really become someone different when I'm thinking about her_, Rin thought, faintly hoping that her infatuation with Saber wasn't too obvious to the others. Such unladylike expression would damage Rin's credibility.

_Still… Saber is just too cute…_

Sinking deeper into the tub with closed eyes, Rin considered how she had changed since meeting the blonde swordswoman. For the duration of the Holy Grail War, Rin battled to keep her prideful and commanding façade in place, even as she dealt with the jealousy of Shirou summoning Saber as his servant, and even as Rin took in more and more of her soft, yet fierce beauty…

* * *

It had been a fine day to spend frolicking in the water, with the sunshine banishing the gloomy traces of the young people's past several weeks. While no breeze blew through the enclosed water park, the glass roof offered a pleasant greenhouse effect, conducive to the immersion of the swimsuit-clad patrons. Silently, Rin walked with Saber away from the others bound for the towering slides, and left a small sports bag at the table. Leading the way, Rin snatched Saber's arm, and pulled the hesitant young woman gently along.

"I guess sliding is a little much for you," Rin fibbed. "Come on, let's just head to the water while everyone else does their thing."

The two girls brightly took to the wave pool, and Saber's countenance immediately became warmer. She and Rin spent the next half hour slogging through the waist-high swell, swimming out to the deeper sections, and nearly getting bowled over by the oncoming waves.

"Having fun?" asked Rin, lightly towelling her body back at the table.

"Oh, yes!" said Saber, giving a rare smile with teeth showing. "It's like the formidable ocean is here for our enjoyment, but there's no real danger. Rin, I didn't think I would be, but I'm happy to have leisure time like this."

Slinging the bag over her shoulder, and with her other hand on her hip, Rin pointed to an exit, marked by open sliding doors.

"Let's take a rest outside," she said, and started walking.

The facility had a courtyard area that was open to the sky, allowing sunbathers to stretch out on lounge chairs arranged around a decorative fountain. Most of those lying on the chairs were young women, but there were both male and female onlookers who deigned to briefly stare at Saber and her companion. Rin could tell that Saber's discomfort was starting to wear off in this environment, and imagined that the European girl might be used to the local people gawking at her exotic appearance.

"Hah… it's like they've never seen a white person before," said Rin softly, grinning at Saber. "I tell you, people in Fuyuki can really act like country bumpkins sometimes."

"Rin," said Saber, as the two girls reached a relatively isolated stretch of chairs. "It's you they could be staring at, you know. You… do look very regal in that garment."

Saber hesitated with her words, but her expression exuded confidence, and she seemed more comfortable now than she had back at the table with Ilya and the others. Rin blushed and folded her arms behind her back, but held her head in what she thought was a 'regal' position, turning it to the side.

"W-well! I don't really need to flattered like that! And besides, I've had this bikini for a couple of years; I'm surprised it still fits…"

"Oh, no, it wouldn't become me as a knight to commit the sin of flattery," said Saber, slowing lowering herself onto a lounge chair. I really think you're quite stately, Rin. The red of your suit and the black of your hair make me recall dancing coals in a lively fire."

Rin's eyes met with Saber's , and cracked a shy smile to answer Saber's reassuring one.

"No offense, but that was really cheesy," said Rin.

"My apologies," said Saber, looking down, but still smiling. "I've probably come to miss the poetic and courtly speech of my era. Think nothing of it. Even so…"

Saber leaned back in her lounge chair, moving her arms behind her head and moving her downward gaze across her reclining body.

"I can hardly believe that the women of this day wear things like this," she said, emerald eyes lingering on her own stark white swimsuit, and the bare shoulders, lightly muscled and toned midsection, and creamy thighs that the suit left bare. Rin's eyes lingered too, and the Japanese girl swallowed.

"Still," Saber continued. "I suppose it's not indecent. And having the limbs and belly open to the Sun and wind is kind of… exciting, isn't it?"

Rin nodded slowly, and, wanting to say something, opened her mouth.

"If we're going to sit out here for a while, I think we could do with some sunscreen."

"Sunscreen?" echoed Saber, drawing herself up slightly.

"Protection from the Sun," said Rin, crouching to extricate a tube of lotion from her bag.

"Very well," said Saber, accepting this modern convenience instantly. "I like the sound of that. How does it work?"

"You just have to rub it on. I'll go first; I can do it real fast. See?"

Saber watched Rin like a hawk as she thoroughly kneaded the substance into all the exposed skin she could reach. It didn't take her more than two minutes.

"Hoo… I feel like buttered bread now," said Rin, dropping the tube at Saber's feet on the chair, and triumphantly putting her hands on her hips. Saber blinked, and Rin gingerly laid belly-down on the next lounge chair.

"Um, Saber… Not that I really need your help or anything," Rin started, "I mean, I could've done it myself, but… Could you rub some sunscreen into my back? I-I just wanted to show you the right way to rub it in properly, that's all!"

Not catching on to the tsundere vibe emanating from Rin, Saber answered firmly, though with a moment's hesitation.

"Yes. Yes, I can do that."

Getting to her feet, Saber took the tube and bent over her companion.

"Oh, uh, wait," said Rin, as she tossed her dark mane of hair to the side, revealing her upper back. She carefully untied the halter at her neck, and unfastened the rear band of her bikini top, letting the material fall at her sides.

"You've got to tan evenly!" said Rin cheerily. Now, Saber could see the entirely of Rin's bare back, from the nape of her neck to the waist of her red bikini bottom. Saber swallowed, though she couldn't say why.

"Right," said Saber, absently. Squeezing out a fair amount of lotion, Saber did her best to calmly rub it over Rin's smooth back, efficiently kneading it into the girl's yielding flesh. Rin remained silent, but Saber took her stillness as a sign she was doing something right.

"Is there any sunscreen that you can still see?" Rin suddenly asked.

"No, it's all… done."

"Ah, great! Thanks, Saber," said Rin, turning her head slightly upwards while keeping her body in its position. "You think you can do your front okay?"

"Oh, yes. I'll have you know, I learned to use chopsticks the first time I saw someone holding them."

At this, Rin chuckled, resting her head back onto the pillow of her towel.

In spite of everything, it took Saber a very long time to spread the sunscreen on the areas of her body she could reach, though Rin wasn't watching her. Finally, the raven-haired girl moved her face to the other side of her chair, and saw Saber in the process of eternally smoothing out clumps on her skin.

"Saber, you're going to get burnt at this rate."

"I know… I just…"

"Here, let me finish you off."

Deftly, Rin refastened her bikini top and rose from her position, taking the tube from Saber and gesturing to her to lie back.

The King of Knights had no words. She lay down, her gaze still fixed on Rin, calmly squeezing sunscreen onto her hand and kneeling on the foot of the lounge chair.

"Mmmhm!"

Saber couldn't avoid a muffled gasp as Rin applied the tube's contents liberally to leg, lifting the underside of Saber's thigh to ensure she didn't miss anything. Saber did her best to relax, but was distracted by her own hammering heart, watching intently as Rin finished with her legs.

"All right, I suppose the rest just needs to be rubbed in all the way," said Rin, capping the sunscreen tube.

Before Saber could say anything, Rin brought her hands onto her stomach, which Saber felt suddenly jolt with sensation. Rin tried to keep her mouth a firm line as she worked. Truthfully, she was ecstatic at running her hands over Saber's smooth skin and daintily muscled torso. But something within Rin made her concentrate on being as neutral as she could, and even sounding a bit impatient as she spoke.

"Could you turn over, Saber?"

"Uh, Rin?"

"I think you should add more to your back for an even tan."

"All right…"

Rin took hold of Saber's shoulder and waist, gently flipping her onto her stomach. The back of the white bandeau then unclasped under Rin's fingers.

"Ah –"

"Relax!" said Rin, hoping that her voice sounded more annoyed to Saber. "I just want – You just want your suit out of the way, so your skin will tan evenly. Now don't move."

Resigned, Saber, stopped squirming, though she brought her hands modestly up to the sides of her top. Gradually, her breathing slowed, as she drank in the pleasant sensations of Rin's hands over her back. They floated over Saber's body, pausing to give pressure, caressing the muscles and sensitive skin as, all too quickly, Rin finished.

"There you go," said Rin, allowing herself a good-natured smirk as she sat cross-legged on her own chair, facing Saber's lying form.

"Thank you, Rin. So now… the sunlight won't burn me?"

"That's the idea. Just as long as we don't lay stretched out here for too much."

Rin looked at Saber demurely pressed to her lounge chair, with a calm face, but in a posture guarded against anyone seeing beyond her bare back, her small white hands balled into fists near her chest. Rin smiled fully, giving Saber a view of her shining teeth.

"It's important not to spend too much time on your front or back, so I'll let you know when to flip over. I'm going to work on my front now, so don't worry, I've got an eye on you."

"I appreciate it, Rin."

* * *

Rin opened her eyes, thinking that the warm water made her recall the energizing sunlight of just a few hours ago. Her back against the bathtub's edge, Rin imagined Saber with her now, sharing the kind of unity they had while sunbathing.

There was a knock at the door.

"Rin?"

Before waiting for Saber to say more, Rin immediately replied, "Saber, why don't you come join me?"


	10. Irregular

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, come in, Saber. Don't be shy; we're both girls, after all."

After a moment's pause, the door handle twisted, and Saber, clad in bluish-white pajamas, entered. She tilted her head slightly, letting her blonde hair slip casually over her narrow shoulder.

"Oh, so you let your hair down already?" Rin asked, looking at Saber head-on from her position in the tub. "You look like you're ready to go to bed. How about a nice soak first?"

"That is an attractive idea."

"Sure…" continued Rin, slipping to the far edge of the bathtub. She crossed her arms and placed them on the edge, letting her breasts press into the ceramic. Rin was aware of a flitting glance from Saber as the sorceress lowered her chin to rest on her arms, covering her cleavage.

"What is it you wanted?" asked Rin as she watched Saber move slowly and aimlessly across the tiled floor.

"Well…" Saber froze. "I just wanted to talk to you; not about particular matters, but… I feel as though it's so rare that we have time alone together, and that I don't have the same intimacy with you that I have with Shirou. I would like to know you better, Rin."

Rin blinked. Saber's choice of words made her remember the mana transfer ritual she assisted Saber and Shirou with. There was a small trembling in Rin's stomach as she recalled how she covertly masturbated while Shirou had sex with Saber.

_They didn't notice me that time, did they?_

"I apologize for my impatience, but this has been weighing on me for quite a while now," Saber continued.

Rin smiled and raised her hand.

"Say no more 'til you're in the tub."

Saber smiled hesitantly, and started removing her pajamas. Rin took care to shift ninety degrees from where she was, averting her eyes while making room on one side of the bathtub. Saber had none of her earlier shyness as she quietly walked over and lowered herself into the water. Rin said nothing about rinsing off first.

"Thank you for having me, Rin," said Saber. The Epic Spirit settled her position in the tub, and Rin let her gaze pass casually over Saber's small breasts, round and lily-white.

"It doesn't suit you or me to mince words. Ever since I met you, I could tell that we both prefer plain speaking," said Rin.

"You're right, it's not as though we had the luxury of becoming too open with one another during the Holy Grail War," said Saber.

"Breaking down barriers between people in the bath is an ancient Japanese tradition!" Rin said buoyantly, as she daringly reached out a hand to rest on Saber's shoulder. Saber blushed, but did not recoil. "So, where do you want to begin?"

A span of seven heartbeats passed, and Rin's expression darkened. When Saber looked away and opened her mouth, Rin placed her hand on Saber's smooth and slippery waist underwater. Saber looked back at Rin.

"…Why don't we talk about why you kissed me that night I was wounded?"

* * *

Sakura awoke in the soft morning light. Enveloped by warmth, she was aware of the two strong arms of her beloved wrapped tightly around her. With one of his arms supporting the young woman's breasts, and the hand of the other firm on her belly, Sakura gave a comforted sigh as she heard the steady breaths of Shirou behind her. He was still sleeping.

The previous night's exertions had taken much of her energy, and Sakura still felt slightly tired and sore. This was a feeling of weariness that contented her, like that of a runner enjoying the aftermath of a race. It pleased Sakura immensely just knowing that her body was exercised of her own free will, spent in service to the one she loved. Rather than feel as though she had lost something she could never get back, Sakura felt powerful, complete, and fulfilled. Her body entwined with Shirou's under the warm blanket, Sakura's happiness consumed her utterly. It was as though her senpai's body was an extension of her own, and she could melt together with him.

Closing her eyes, Sakura knew that she had to get up eventually, but indulged herself for just a few minutes more; awake, nestled into the sleeping Shirou's unconscious embrace, and as fiercely happy as the moment her sister had rescued her.

"Sakura."

It was a surprise to hear Shirou's voice behind her, but Sakura was pleased that he was awake too, being full of the excitement that comes with requited love. She began to turn around to face Shirou, and he moved his hands under the covers to help her. Sakura shivered slightly as his warm palm slid across her belly.

"Good morning, Shirou-senpai," she said, smiling as she leaned her head on her arm.

Now that the two of them had made love, Shirou wasn't sure how to feel about Sakura calling him 'senpai', but he wasn't willing to bring up something trivial in a moment like this.

"Good morning," he returned. Shirou reflected that this had often been the way that he and Sakura had greeted one another since they became friends. The difference was that she was in bed with him this time, and their naked bodies pressed against one another lovingly, in a way never expressed before. Regardless, the amiable trust and comfort in Sakura and Shirou's words were the same as it had ever been.

"I've… never done anything quite like this before," said Shirou, lamely.

"Me neither," said Sakura. The two giggled good-naturedly, staring into one another's laughing eyes. Bringing a hand to Sakura's cheek, Shirou leaned in for a tender kiss to her yielding lips, which she gladly returned.

"I'll get us some tea."

"Oh, Shirou, I can do that."

"Please, Sakura, it's no trouble. I'm your host." Shirou said, slipping on a yukata as she emerged from the futon. Sakura blushed as she saw the flash of his naked body, and covered her bare chest with the blanket.

"Do you mind?" she asked, and moved to wrapping herself in the shirt Shirou had discarded the night before.

"You've always been such a girl," he laughed, shaking his head. "But I'm not someone who minds."

She returned the laugh, tilting her head apologetically, and watched Shirou's broad back move around the corner. Inhaling the lingering masculine scent, she sank back onto the pillow, folding the oversized shirt over the curves of her body.

Sakura had closed her eyes when she gradually became aware of a dull ache building in her stomach. Wide-eyed, she froze, holding her breath as her thoughts raced.

_Oh, no. No._

Flinging the covers back, Sakura lurched to her feet, and stepped lightly toward the bathroom. The crack of the slamming door was heard by Shirou, who stopped and started inching back to the bedroom.

In the bathroom, wearing nothing but Shirou's unbuttoned shirt, Sakura gingerly moved her hands over her trembling flesh. Her nipples were hurting now, too, and she was obliged to lift the garment away from her breasts. In the mirror, Sakura looked at herself with an open mouth.

She looked down once she felt a trickle of something start to slide down her thigh. Slowly, Sakura moved her hand between her legs and brought it up, seeing the venomous purple smeared over her delicate fingers.

"Onee-chan… Shirou…"

Sakura gritted her teeth as her lovely face distorted and quaked. Tears welled in her eyes, but she fought back the urge to sob. Her clean hand dropped to below her navel and compressed the aching flesh.

The pain was getting incrementally worse.


	11. Fissure

"What are you doing, Rin?"

"Come on, Saber, it's not like you to be so roundabout. Tell me."

Rin's voice became a soft purr now, and she gripped the tub on either side of Saber as she kneeled, straddling her. Saber sank slightly from her position, bringing her at eye level with Rin's chest. Rin looked down at Saber.

"I thought," Saber said, moving her gaze from Rin's glistening breasts to her flushed face. "That I may never see you again, so that kiss was a way for me to say goodbye. I apologize, Rin. Even as a king, I overstepped my authority by doing that. But I had gotten to know you so little, and when I saw you injured and betrayed by one you trusted, I felt the need to comfort you."

Rin reached under Saber's arms and lifted her up with a gentle sloshing sound. Saber felt Rin's breasts press into her own, which were little over half the size of Rin's. The feeling excited Saber, and it was exacerbated with the sensation of Rin's slick stomach gliding over her own.

"When I touched myself, getting to see you and Emiya have all the fun," Rin said, confidently. "I could tell you didn't mind. Or did you, if you knew how much I wanted you?"

Rin felt Saber's muscles stiffen, and a slight sucking on her belly as Saber pulled back.

"You pleasured yourself during that ritual? When I lost my virginity for the sake of war and knightly virtue?"

_Oh, shit._

"Saber, when you said you wanted to be intimate with me like you were with Emiya, I –"

"You mean to say you…"

Saber turned her head and, with difficulty, slowly pushed Rin's soft body off of her. Rin was pale, staring intently at Saber's features in profile. Seconds went by before Saber stood up, water rippling down her slight but sturdy frame. Still averting her eyes, Saber stood over the lip of the bathtub and grabbed a towel. Rin couldn't bear to watch Saber's small, shiny and white body move away from her, and she brought her hands to her face.

"I… Saber, I'm sorry. I want you and me to talk about this."

"Rin, please let me be. I need to be by myself."

Through a gap in her fingers, Rin saw Saber draw the towel tight, covering her tempting flesh, and then pick up her pajamas and leave, closing the door softly.

* * *

Rin went through Shirou's front door, taking her loafers off in a daze. She didn't want to be here; Rin didn't feel like she should be anywhere. And she knew that Sakura seeing her in her current state would only interrupt the joy Rin had last seen her sister in, standing side by side with Shirou like a devoted husband and wife. Rin couldn't even summon the strength to mask her deadened emotions, but she had nowhere else to go. She couldn't be with Saber. She couldn't be by herself. She didn't want to be alone. Not again.

Rin froze when she saw Shirou sitting morosely on the tatami mat floor of the living room, a bizarre expression on his face.

"Where's Sakura?"

"In the bathroom," Shirou mumbled. "She's messed up."

"What did you do, you prick?!"

Rin charged at Shirou, her hands latched onto his collar. Boy and girl fell flat to the ground.

"What did you do to my baby sister?"

A low hiss from Rin as she shook Shirou hard, rattling his head against the tatami.

"I didn't do anything!"

"Like hell! You… you _fucked_ her, didn't you?"

"…Yes. W-well, what did you expect, leaving us to ourselves!" he cried, grabbing Rin's slender arm as she drew it back to slap him. Rin continued to throttle Shirou, and shook her arm free, extending two fingers like a gun. Her fingertips pulsed with a black light, and they flickered.

"She _loves_ you," Rin spat.

"I know," said Shirou, his voice firm but steady. "I know that. And I love her. You know that. Otherwise, you wouldn't have trusted me with Sakura. Rin, you know that I would never do anything to hurt her, or you."

"Y-you didn't…" Rin's voice quavered. The Gandr spell building in her fingers faded and died. "You… d-didn't…"

"I'd rather die than cause Sakura any more pain," Shirou said, gradually sitting up and gently disentangling Rin from him. "You know more than anybody how much she's suffered, and you recognized that I would protect her. I'd protect her just like you would. We _both_ love Sakura."

Seeing the rage dissipate from Rin, Shirou brought a hand to his face as he watched the girl sit with her head down and her legs splayed to either side. He hoped that she felt ashamed, but Shirou also wondered just what could have put Rin in this state. Even knowing her personality, this was much more erratic than he expected from her.

"She needs you right now. I had some words with Sakura through the door, and she said it's something she needs you for. She sounded so… Listen, Sakura has to have our support. Think of how she would feel if she saw you pinning me to the floor and trying to put a Gandr shot between my eyes."

Rin didn't move. Her sniffling continued. Shirou went on.

"I don't think Sakura would want to hear her sister use such harsh language, either. I remember my dad used to say that a maiden –"

"Oh, _stop it_! I don't know about Sakura, but I can't take any more of your chivalrous bullshit. _Especially_ right now."

Rin was breathing as hard as Shirou, steady teardrops dripping off her face onto her clenched fists. They stayed like that for a minute, then two, and Rin rose without a word, heading for the far bathroom.

"Sakura," she intoned, knocking on the door.

"Onee-chan…"

"I'm coming in, sweetie."

Rin had yet to remove her things from Shirou's house since her time living there, and some menstrual pads were among the things she had left handy. Sakura only asked for Rin to get them and her clothes to pass through the door, and she stepped shakily through when she was dressed.

"Where is… Shirou-senpai?"

"He's in the dojo. He knows I'm here for you."

Sakura shivered in spite of her warm clothes.

"It... hasn't been a month yet, has it? Listen," said Rin, threading her fingers in with her sister's. "I'm getting a reply from the Mages' Association today. I promise that they'll be able to help. Somehow, they will."

In the dojo at the other end of the compound, Shirou swung his practice sword again and again, steadily up and down. With every strike, tears splashed. His face burned, but he did not sob.


	12. The Fog Lifted

Shirou stood on the doorstep of his father's mansion, scratching his arms and looking the picture of discomposure. Saber stood nearer the road, dressed in travelling clothes and clutching a single suitcase.

"Shirou, I have to leave with Rin. It's essential that I go with her to speak to the Magi."

"All right. I guess there's no real reason for me to go, is there? What about Sakura? If there's something to be done for her, isn't it better if –"

"No, Rin already made it clear to me that Sakura has no intention of coming to London with us. The reason, I think, is mostly to stay by your side."

"That's…" Shirou shifted his footing nervously, glancing at the ground. "That's not right. If Sakura has to be treated in some way for her health, it's better if she goes, isn't it? Whether I'm with her or not? I don't matter."

"No, that's wrong, Shirou," said Saber, stepping towards him. "You are the most important person to Sakura. It's because of being with you in peaceful times, and wanting to be with you in times of sickness and violence that she's managed to keep living until now. You mean the world to her."

Shirou struggled to accept what Sakura needed the most from him, and was reassured by Saber's light hand on his shoulder.

"Making a journey like this will be hard on Sakura," Saber went on. "It's not just her illness, but the feelings of being there as the center of attention will be too much for her. This is what Rin tells me. It's too cruel. Besides, based on what the Magi have told Rin, it's not necessary to subject Sakura to an in-person examination to produce the right treatment for her condition. I'm the only one that Rin truly needs with her on this journey."

Saber hefted her suitcase, and smiled the spartan smile that Shirou knew best from her.

"Look after her, won't you? This is a request from both Rin and myself. The two of you are good for one another, Shirou."

"Even though I… You and me…"

Saber's smile became warmer, and slightly more sad.

"You were my first, and I thank you for that. Neither of us planned on coming together so intimately, but I'm grateful that my first time was with you, all the same."

"Same here," said Shirou. With a brisk hug, the two turned, looked back at one another, and then went their separate ways.

* * *

The flight was as monotonous as Rin had heard it would be. While this was the first time she had been on an airplane, a Magus and Master in the Holy Grail War like her was inured to its spectacle. The experience was unsettling for Saber, but Rin didn't notice the other girl's discomfort as she sat still, and Rin stared out the window listlessly. Saber remained tense and downcast until the plane was level in the sky.

"Rin."

"Hmm?"

Rin was shaken out of an oncoming doze. She wasn't tired, but the swirling thoughts and unresolvable uneasiness made her start to drift from the torpid surroundings. With some renewed clarity, Rin was wide awake when she realized Saber was talking to her.

"I would like to apologize," Saber said in a hushed voice, now used to the novelty of flight. "My behavior the other night was disrespectful and uncalled for."

"Saber, I… I don't understand. I'm the one who should be apologizing."

"No," Saber continued, raising her hand. "Rin… It's not in my nature to be veiled and ambiguous about such things. I'll say it plainly. I understand that you have powerful feelings for me. Am I wrong?"

Confronted like this, Rin drooped slightly and nodded her head minutely. Her shame was restored in full, and she felt naked under the fixed gaze of Saber's bright green eyes. Rin fidgeted, tugging at her skirt.

"Rin, I don't want to spurn your affections for me. I've spent so long a time abstaining from emotion and any sort of softness, because of my duty as a knight and a king. But now… now that the Grail is no more, I feel like my work is done. Reappearing as I have in this time and place means something, I have no doubt. But I don't believe that I have a requirement to be as martial as I used to be. You and Shirou helped me realize that. Well, actually…"

Saber's pause made Rin turn away from the window to Saber again, and with a jolt, Rin found Saber mere inches from her burning face.

"Shirou was my Master, and my closest comrade," said Saber. "It was him that I paid the price of my virginity to, for the larger goal we both wanted to achieve in the War. But, it was you that I wanted to make that ritual with. I wanted it not just out of duty, but because… I want to be yours, Rin. And I want you to be mine."

Saber smiled, and Rin felt like she was melting in her seat.

"B-but… Saber, w-when I said that I…"

"Yes, I was cowardly in my response. And I am sorry. Now I see that I made a mistake. I really did want to be with you like that. Since you weren't my Master, I had to hide my feelings as best I could. The remnants of who I was clouded my view of the truth when we were together that night, alone. But now that I see that my responsibility is over, that by some miracle, I'm brought back, and I feel like I have a new purpose: you. Will you give me another chance? I know that, despite how I lived before, I'm not a man, and you can't really be my lady in a traditional sense, but –"

"Saber!" said Rin, louder at normal speaking volume, uncaring if anyone heard her. "This is the 21st Century! Gender doesn't matter! And even if it did, I wouldn't care, because… because I want to be your lady. And you'll be mine, if you'll let me say so."

Rin brought a warm hand up to Saber's cheek, and cracked a nervous smile, her eyes threatening to spill tears as Saber looked back, looking intensely touched.

"Thank you," said Saber, smiling back.

A bell sounded throughout the cabin, a crackly voice blared through the public address system. Saber jumped at the sound, looking around for a second, and then sitting still and blushing when she noticed the speaker above her head. Rin brought her hand to her face and couldn't supress a giggle, which made Saber blush harder.

After the announcement of the plane's descent, Saber swallowed as she pressed herself back into her chair. When they were meters from the ground, Saber made a low intake of breath, and Rin gripped her hand reassuringly.

Gatwick was a seething mass of humanity, tourists mostly, and while Saber was travelling light, Rin had ventured to bring along another suitcase that she had to check. Stoically, Saber remained still at the airport's baggage claim, her stony face not betraying her boredom, or her lingering joy. Suppressing both was an effort, but Saber managed until Rin reappeared wheeling her luggage.

Immigration was a slight hurdle. There were no officers immediately available who spoke Japanese, and Rin was finding the set English phrases she had memorized lacking.

"The two of us are here for business," said Saber, in perfect English.

Rin was momentarily shocked, but she quickly relaxed her shoulders. She had forgotten that Saber, as an epic spirit and Servant in the last Grail War, was granted the gift of tongues for dealing with Masters speaking any language.

The customs officer couldn't help but grin; he had been worried of a delay when the Japanese girl couldn't understand him, but then he noticed the Caucasian lady standing behind her speak up helpfully. The blonde woman had an accent the man couldn't quite place; he guessed Welsh.

"There we are, miss," said the customs officer, finishing his questions. "Welcome to the United Kingdom."

From the airport, Rin and Saber went immediately to the Mages' Association before checking in at their hotel. Saber asked Rin if she was travel-worn, but Rin fervently shook her head, the wavy black locks rustling.

"This won't take long, I'm sure of it," said Rin.

"If they made us come out all this way, don't they have something in-depth and complicated to tell us? Why couldn't the Association simply have told you what was needed in their letter?"

"That's not how our kind works." Rin crossed her arms, looking out the window of the taxi with a frown. "Even with modern technology, they insist on staying close to old traditions and arbitrary rituals. I know more than most just how powerful sorcery can be, but…"

Saber stole a quick glance at the driver. His face in the rear-view mirror was impassive.

"Saber, I'm doing this for my sister. And… for you." Rin threaded her fingers into Saber's on the seat. "But after this… I'm giving up my birthright. After living through the Holy Grail War and really understanding what Magi are like, I'm not going to be a practicing sorceress anymore."

"Rin…" Saber wasn't surprised, but she admired the conviction in her companion's voice.

"I just want to be an ordinary person. It's what Sakura has wanted for so long, so… why not me, too? I never wanted to be the Tohsaka family heir, you know. But for my entire life, I was molded into thinking that winning family honor through magecraft was the reason I was here. And… my own parents… they did something unforgivable to keep their dream alive, to me, and Sakura. I have to break free of all of that, Saber."

"I think that's admirable," said Saber. "Rin, I was a king and a warrior for so long, and now I've realized that I've been blessed to live and accomplish my goal. I was unsure at first, after my goal was altered, but now… What I want is to find new goals to reach. You feel the same way, don't you?"

Rin nodded, her beribboned twintails bouncing apart from the rest of her loose hair.

"Saber…"

Before either could say any more, the taxi halted in front of an unassuming office tower. Rin reached for her wallet.

"This is it," she muttered.


	13. Red Silk

Rin could barely believe that the largest association of Magi in the world had their head office in an ordinary building in London. However, moving through the lobby and the hallways above, it occurred to her that the Magi here were hiding in plain sight, much like any Magus the world over. The Mages' Association was privately owned and boring enough in appearance so that almost all common folk would pass it by completely. Of course, there was doubtless protection money and maybe defensive magic guarding the place's secret, but Rin couldn't be less interested in learning the shady particulars of an organization like this.

_I'm doing this for Sakura. Sakura and Saber_, thought Rin, steeling herself against the unease she felt emanating from everyone and everything in this horribly ordinary office building. It didn't look like it, but this was a nerve center for the activities of people like her parents. Like the Matous. Like the greedy and self-absorbed petty tyrants that Rin had been exposed to all her life.

After waiting far too long to reach the third floor, the elevator stopped, and Rin and Saber stepped out. Knocking on a conference room door, Rin looked at Saber, and was relieved to see her offering a kind and supportive look.

"Enter," intoned a voice in stilted but recognizable Japanese.

Dyott knew who he was meeting and at what time, so he didn't bother with English from the start. Paradoxically, Magi are largely traditionalist and honor-bound while rooted in an obsession with efficiency. These qualities can go together in very strange ways, not least of which was the former Tohsaka family head sacrificing his daughter for the benefit of another Magus.

Rin pursed her lips and sat down curtly, not bothering with formalities or a handshake. She could see that her host offered neither at the door.

"I am Dyott. Well met, Rin Tohsaka. Well met, victorious Servant," said the old man. He was white, but he spoke an awkward and antiquated dialect of Japanese with no trace of an accent. Dyott was completely bald, and his thin fingers were placed delicately on the beige conference table. The furniture matched his business suit as well as the carpet.

"I trust that your journey went well?"

"Well enough, thank you," was the emotionless reply from the Japanese Magus, with a small toss of her wavy hair. "Please elaborate on what you outlined in your letter."

"You are quite fortunate, Lady Tohsaka," said Dyott. "The secret to ridding your sister of bodily corruption will be revealed as a result of the solution to your other problem."

"Allowing Saber to stay in this world," said Rin.

"Exactly. There is a certain ritual that the two of you may perform to ensure that the Saber will live in this world as long as you do. The Holy Grail Wars are defunct, but it essentially means that Lady Tohsaka will be the Saber's new Master. As a Magus, you will provide a permanent supply of mana for her. When the ritual is over, the Saber's temporality will be secure, and you, my lady, will be endowed with prodigious power. The power to save your sister, and much more."

"I'm only doing this to – " started Rin, shortly. "I have no desire to officially remain one of the Magi after I clean up the desecration of my family's past."

"Leave the Magi? Whatever for? Attaining the untainted Grail is no longer possible, but have you not seen directly the amazing and godly things that can be done with sorcery? Please don't tell me that you've given over to the side of science and technology, Lady. "

"I didn't say that," snapped Rin, her voice and color rising. Saber looked at Rin sitting to her left, and was startled, but silent.

"As the head of the Tohsaka, please think of your family's future. That is what anyone in your position would do, my lady."

"What I decide for my family, or what's left of it, I should say, is my own decision," said Rin. Her voice was hard and deadly even, but her arms were crossed over a heaving chest.

"Of course, Lady Tohsaka, you are the family head, and it is entirely your decision," said Dyott, with an unsettling smile. "I am certain that a sorceress of your breeding and caliber has a master plan with which to restore your former glory."

Rin leaned back in the chair and let her eyes wander.

"Can we get down to business? I assume this will be brief."

"Naturally. Now, I want you to observe this," said Dyott, reaching under the table and lifting a small red casket into view.

He placed it between himself and Rin, continuing to ignore Saber, and unlatched the lid. Inside were two pale-pink gems, pear-cut and slightly smaller than golf balls, resting on a burgundy cushion.

"Do you know what these are? These are thaumaturgic jewels energized by your late father, and entrusted to the Association before his lordship's passing."

Rin's posture corrected, and she dazedly bent towards the open box, eying the gems.

"My… my dad…"

"The late Lord Tohsaka had the foresight to create these for a specific purpose, that being to harness the powerful attraction that might exist between a human Magus and an astral being. That is to say…" Dyott's narrow eyes narrowed further into slits. "Between a Master and Servant."

Standing tall, Rin looked hard at Dyott, and then at some ordinary printouts stapled together and sitting on the table.

"These are the correct instructions for using them," said Dyott, pushing them forward.

After a minute of flipping through the papers with fervent intensity, Rin, with an unreadable expression, dropped the booklet and closed the lid of the casket, snapping its fastener shut.

"This box here… it was outside my father's will?"

"That it was, my lady. Lord Tohsaka gave it to me personally, decades ago, and said that it should only be released to one of his family. That is the extent of it."

After signing some dissonantly bureaucratic forms, Rin forced herself to shake Dyott's mummy-like hand and turned to leave. Saber followed a meter behind, shutting the door without looking behind.

"You okay? You didn't say anything," said Rin when she was back in the elevator with Saber. Her companion looked taken aback, and then she lowered her gaze.

"No, don't worry, Rin," said Saber, aware that the color in Rin's face wasn't receding.

* * *

That evening, both women sat awkwardly in their hotel room, resting after a good meal that was itself eaten mostly in silence. Saber had felt like she shouldn't initiate conversation about what both of them had heard earlier, but it was hard for her to keep it in. Just how would Rin want to perform this ritual? Where? When would she do it? How would Rin expect Saber to go along with the ritual? It was true that Saber, while rapt by the process hinted at, had already decided that she would follow Rin in her conviction and do as she did. While Saber was scrambling for the right thing to say, Rin broke the silence.

"I've got a really strong headache. Saber, do you think you could run downstairs to get some aspirin for me?"

"I don't mind."

"Thanks. Here's a few pounds."

Saber was at a loss of how to act or what to say ever since the meeting with Dyott, and she welcomed this task to give her time to think.

_Rin probably worried too much about what's going on and wore herself out,_ thought Saber, grabbing the room key and striding to the door.

For the ex-Servant, buying sundries in the modern version of her homeland was very like doing the same in Japan. The only difference noticed being language, Saber comfortably got what Rin asked for and returned to the room. When the lock clicked open, Saber gingerly stepped in, and then stood in shock at what was before her.

Saber's mouth fell uncharacteristically open. Rin was lying on her back on the plush bedspread, dressed in exquisite lingerie. A strapless bra and side-tie panties were accompanied by sleek detached sleeves and thighhighs, and a wide choker at Rin's slender neck. Every piece of the underwear was silky and embroidered, colored in Rin's signature shade of red.

"I'm ready, Saber," said Rin, smiling bashfully as she hugged herself. "Are… are you?"

"Rin…"

Saber was still for a moment, and then stepped toward the bed, wearing the widest smile that Rin had ever seen on her face.

"Sorry for the little fib; I just wanted to catch you off guard, that's all."

"Rin, you're the only one to act so casually with me. I love it…"

Now perched over Rin on all fours, Saber lowered her head and ran her hand through Rin's long black hair, kissing her soft mouth. What was remarkable to Saber was how she felt so natural and calm in moving in close to Rin, when before it seemed like neither of them knew where to start. Admiration for Rin breaking the ice in such a lovely way filled Saber, and she moved back after another kiss to take in the sight of Rin's colorful red lingerie, pale and shining skin, lustrous black hair, and sparkling blue eyes.

Without a word, Saber casually began removing Rin's fine set of underwear, starting with the choker, and then slowly peeling off sleeves and thighhighs. When Saber got to work on Rin's bra, Rin reciprocated, eagerly unlacing Saber's skirt and unbuttoning her shirt.

In the elongated minutes that passed, Saber and Rin eventually found one another completely nude. They caressed one another as they lay on their sides, marvelling at the forms that they had seen, but never fully studied before.

"Saber, I need you to do something for me," said Rin, her voice lustful, but controlled. "It has to do with the business we came here for."

"Are we performing the ritual now? Are we…"

"Shh… No. But I've decided that I need your help in getting ready to do it. Not now, but later."

"What do I need to do?"

Rin answered with a passionate kiss, running both her hands over Saber's understated breasts, and prompting Saber to reach over to Rin's larger ones.

Exploring each other's naked bodies, like they were continuing uninterrupted from their shared bath at Rin's house, Rin and Saber traced over as much skin on their partner as they could with their hands, awestruck.

"Are you ready?" Saber asked, knowing that Rin's conviction was total. Rin blinked and pursed her lips, nodding twice before moving her arms lightly around Saber's firm back.

Rin's face slackened as Saber lowered a hand between them, tracing Rin's collarbone, enfolding the supple mound of her breast, and sliding down the smooth skin of her belly. Saber could feel Rin's abdomen tremble under her hand, and she brought her palm back again in a light stroke over her stomach, making it even warmer than it was. Rin exhaled very quietly, with a short intake of breath as Saber's finger slid across to fit into her navel. It stayed there for an instant, close against the skin, and Rin's trembling stopped. Then, Saber's soothing hand continued to move downwards.

"Wait, Saber… Use this."

From under the pillow, Rin snatched at a gray, metallic rod, not eight inches in length. Handing it to Saber, Rin simultaneously hid her face in Saber's shoulder, whispering, "I used Trace to make it just for tonight. Please use it. For me."

Saber held Rin close while squeezing the rod, which was oddly soft and pliant.

"You're sure, Rin?"

Rin shivered momentarily, and Saber felt her nod, still pressed into her shoulder. Taking Rin at arm's length, Saber then brought her in for a deep kiss, gently lowering her to the bed again. With both women pressed snugly and comfortably into the folds and shapes of each other's body, Saber reached between them from her position on top of Rin.

Rin held Saber's free hand tightly as the phallus she made probed the soaking wet lips of her vulva. There was a slight tightness, and Rin felt the rod move inside her easily. It moved forward, and then slowed as Rin was aware of a stretching sensation from within.

"Nnngh!"

"Rin?"

"Don't stop. Go on, I'll be fine."

Saber obediently pushed against the resistance of Rin's hymen, tightly holding on to her hand all the while. As she used more force, Saber kissed Rin quickly, pulling her face away as Rin winced and exclaimed softly in pain.

"Ahhhh! Ahh…"

The resistance was past, and Rin's hymen broke. Her face was greatly reddened, and a thin tear trailed down from her brilliant blue eye.

"Oh, Saber."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I knew it would hurt. I'm just so glad you were the one to do it."

"Is it feeling a little better already?" asked Saber, moving the phallus backward almost imperceptibly.

"Ah… Yeah. It is. Please keep doing that. Slowly."

As Saber tenderly built a rhythm of pushing in and out of Rin, she nearly stopped when she felt Rin's fingers reach between her legs and enter her own body. Adjusting to the sensation of being filled, Saber increased the speed, trying to match Rin's ministrations.

It was clear to both of them that they were immersed in each other's passion, grappling with the building pleasure that rose to higher and higher heights. When Rin couldn't think she could feel any better, the heavenly feeling reached its peak, and her mouth fell wide open as she reached orgasm, her quivering vagina clamping down on the firm, intrusive object.

Seeing how Rin was affected, Saber was freshly aroused, and the intensified feeling of the ecstatic Rin's fingers pushed her over the edge. Saber rode out her own orgasm, waiting until the last lingering spark died down, and then flopped down beside Rin onto the bed.

"We're the same now," breathed Rin languidly, stroking Saber's undone hair as she spoke into her ear.

"Rin… Thank you. Thank you for choosing me. I know we haven't completed the ritual, but I already feel like I've made a strong connection with you. I hope that I can help you finish what you've decided to do. I'll be there with you every step of the way."

"Saber," said Rin, pulling back and admiring Saber's small breasts and fierce green eyes. "You've already been so good to me just by being you. I know that you're the one I want. You're the one I've wanted since I was little. The Servant Saber. I just didn't know that I would end up wanting you this much… I need you."

Quieting down, the pair's breathing became slower, and with arms wrapped around the other's sweaty form, and soft, heated bodies pressed tight, they drifted off into a peaceful sleep.


	14. Concordance

"Do you feel any better?" Shirou asked.

"My... my tummy is still really sore. And my arms and legs feel weird, but it doesn't feel like anything is moving around inside me anymore."

Sakura sighed in a mixture of exhaustion and relief. With the pain centered on her uterus being bad enough, the aches and nausea had spread through her whole body. The worst was the sensation that something alive was writhing just underneath her skin, and Sakura was grateful for that feeling diminishing. Too much it reminded her of being forced into a pool of corruption in her early childhood, repeatedly, and with her intensely aware of the vermin crawling all over her and inside her.

"Shirou… I feel embarrassed."

Sakura rolled onto her side, bringing the blankets up to her nose as Shirou knelt on the other side. He had come to bring some tea, which had been set down on the floor above Sakura's pillow.

"I don't understand," Shirou replied.

"I'm always helping you out, and now I'm the one that you're looking after like this. It's embarrassing. I can't cook for you like I always do. I can't even get up to have a proper conversation with you. I feel so useless."

Not long after saying goodbye to Rin and Saber, Sakura's intense cramps had gotten worse, and, though there were intervals of calmness, she found she couldn't stay on her feet more than momentarily. Sakura was bedridden, and Shirou had spent the past day making sure that she was comfortable.

"It's all right. Not long after we met, you took care of me when I had a fever, remember? Fuji-nee was busy, and you were the one who came in the most to make sure I was doing all right."

Sakura brought her head up, lying on her back and looking up at Shirou's kind but strained face.

"I was wondering why this girl who barely knew me was being so nice," he went on. "But you were so kind, and I got to know you so well while you were by my side. You've always been good to me, Sakura; much better than I've known from anyone else, apart from my dad. I think you have so much love to give that you aren't kind enough to yourself."

"Shirou…"

"Let's just… call this repaying a favor, okay?"

"But, Shirou," protested Sakura, raising herself slightly on her thin arms. The cover slipped down, revealing her deep blue pajamas.

"Sakura, there's no way I wouldn't look after you… Because you…"

Shirou choked up, and his imagination conjured up abstract, horrific images of Sakura's enslavement; a torment existing long before he knew the truth about his quiet underclassman.

"You… deserve it so much. If I had only… known what was really happening, I would have done something to make sure a kind and beautiful person like you was treated the way she was supposed to."

"Please don't cry, Senpai," said Sakura, forcing herself upright, and draping her arms around Shirou's shoulders. "You were all I needed. All I needed to remember what happiness was. And now… I'm happier than I've ever been in my life. I have Onee-chan; I finally have her back. And I have you. I have you closer to me than I ever thought was possible."

Her embrace tightened, and Sakura's small hands moved Shirou's face towards her own. An ethereal kiss was followed by a deep hug, and Sakura's hand kneading Shirou's knotted back.

"Does that feel good, Shirou?" she asked, continuing to rub. "I can't offer you much right now, while my body is like this. I can't… do what we did that night, but I can do this," she euphemized, shyly avoiding the words for their lovemaking.

Shirou felt immediately calmer as his lover intensified her massage with both hands. After a few seconds of letting Sakura stroke him, he gently pulled apart from her.

"Shirou?"

"You must be more uncomfortable than me," said Shirou. "Would you let me do the same to you?"

In answer, Sakura smiled, and unbuttoned her pajama top, laying it to the side. Shirou was momentarily embarrassed, but this was a remnant of seeing his childhood friend in such a state. Sakura was now even more special to him, and his matured attitude put aside childish intimidation. Shirou gazed lovingly at the magnificent upper body of the woman he had become one with.

Sakura's ample breasts looked soft and pliant, and Shirou's hands gravitated towards them before he realized it.

"Please be gentle," she said in a hushed voice. "I'm tender."

Avoiding great pressure, but using as much as he dared, Shirou ran his hands over the pale globes of Sakura's breasts, watching how they gradually reddened as the girl let out a breath of contentment.

Ever watchful of inadvertently hurting her, Shirou caressed Sakura as she lay on her back. From her sizable breasts, he moved to Sakura's smooth arms, extending his strokes to her palms and fingertips. Shirou slid his hands down across her warm belly, and came to rest above her pubic bone.

Shirou looked up to Sakura's blissful face. She trusted him. Gentle over the skin under her navel, Shirou rubbed back and forth, and slid a hand under Sakura's pajama bottom. With the utmost care, Shirou held her smooth mons, cupping the silky skin under his palm while avoiding the clitoris beneath. Satisfied with the plushness of the plump mound, Shirou dragged his hand back up, stroking Sakura's belly with his fingertips, and tenderly brought his hands to her sides.

"Can you turn over?" he asked, beginning to lift Sakura's waist. When she was on her stomach, Shirou removed his own shirt, lightly pressing his chest into Sakura's back. She sighed as he moved forward, and then propped himself up, running his hands over the slopes of Sakura's naked back. Pressing lightly, Shirou rubbed and eased the whole length of her bare flesh.

"I'm so happy," Sakura whispered, as her Senpai enfolded her body with his own, contacting as much of her skin as he could with his own. Both their hearts raced in the tranquil warmth.

* * *

"You're not tired, Rin?"

"No. No, I don't think I can wait any longer. Saber… I have to do this now, and then go to her with what we can help her with. I want to surprise them. Besides, I can't show my face to my sister until I have what I need to heal her."

Saber looked at Rin at an angle, drawing her legs in close on the bed. They were back in Rin's bedroom, having left London with the Tohsaka family keepsakes as early as possible.

"Are you ready to finish this? …Partner?"

Saber smiled at Rin's unsure face, bringing her warm palms onto Rin's reddened cheeks.

_She's so cute_, thought Saber, finally broken free of the criticism of her inner monologue. Rin smiled in turn as Saber stroked her face, planting a tender kiss on her sensitive lips.

Without another word, Saber turned away, and began disrobing. Rin, her heart in her mouth, snapped out of a daze and followed suit. Both lovers completely removed their own clothing, and then, almost simultaneously, inched back to look at each other.

"Oh, my," breathed Saber, one hand on her own shoulder, and the other across her lap as she sat.

Rin blushed and sputtered.

"Saber, didn't you get enough of a good look before?"

"I don't think I'll ever fail to be impressed by your body, Rin," said Saber, her green eyes travelling longingly over Rin's shapely breasts, her slightly rounded stomach and trim waist, womanly hips, long, milky legs, and up to the blue eyes set in her tilted head.

Saber saw that Rin was studying Saber's body just as intently.

"Oh, Saber, you can't hide anything from me!" Rin said playfully, reaching out and pushing aside Saber's arm lain over her modest breasts.

"Rin," said Saber, blushing in spite of her voice and expression. "Please don't stare. I'm not as impressive as you."

"Small is good, too! They have a cute charm that these," here Rin began fondling her own, larger breast. "just lack… I can't really describe it."

Rin continued to stare at Saber's small breasts, and was now absently twisting her own nipple. After a few seconds, Rin's eyes spun back to meet Saber's, and her smile intensified lustily.

"Saber… I can't hold it in for much longer."

"I'm ready whenever you are, Rin," said Saber, suddenly aware of a building moistness between her legs, tickling her thighs slightly.

As if on reflex, Saber looked down to Rin's lap as the Magus reached for the open case next to the bed. From the little understated cleft of Rin's vulva, her juices were moving almost imperceptibly, glinting slightly in the dim light of the room.

"Here," said Rin, handing Saber one of the jewels. "And… I've got one, too."

"What happens now?"

"Follow my lead."

Rin began to chant in German. Saber followed along easily, but was tripped up when the spell shifted to English, then Hebrew, and finally Japanese.

"Sorry."

"It's all right; this time for sure."

When the two of them had said the complex incantation as one, both jewels glowed and intensified their pale-pink shades. Seeing Rin kiss the stone she held, as if she were kissing Saber, Saber did the same with her own gem.

"And now we can start," said Rin, holding her jewel carefully in one hand, while guiding Saber to lie down. With Saber lying on her back, Rin turned around, then lowered herself, bottom-first, onto Saber.

"R-Rin, you don't mean…" Saber gasped as Rin's labia got nearer her face. Just then, Saber felt an intense wave of pleasure as Rin's tongue probed her vulva. Enamored, Saber reciprocated, licking at Rin's lower lips.

"Ah! This is…" Saber exclaimed in between efforts to please Rin as much as Rin was pleasing her.

"Don't talk. When you're on the verge of coming, tell me," said Rin quickly.

Saber was almost lost in the heaven of holding Rin close, receiving the powerful sensation she had never felt before, and repaying her lover in kind. Still she held onto the jewel, as she knew Rin must be.

Licking along the entrance to Rin's vagina, coated in thick fluid, was producing considerable trembling and the odd vocalization from the black-haired sorceress. Feeling adventurous, Saber thought in the heat of her own passion to start prodding Rin's clitoris. This change in sensation caused a small yelp from Saber's partner, and Rin copied the gesture.

After some time, both women were nearly at their limit. They could sense it in one another, without having to ask. With difficulty, Rin said "Okay… Saber… start pushing it in!"

"What?"

"Trust me…"

Before she could say anything else, Saber felt something almost painfully hot being forced into her vagina. Nearly dropping the gem she had in her hand, she quickly slid it into Rin's ready opening.

_This is why she wanted me to break her hymen_, thought Saber, before the profound sensations overtook her again.

"Oh!"

Both of them cried out as they used their fingers at the same time, pushing the jewels ever further into their bodies. After some time, it was as if the hard stones were being drawn up gradually through them.

_No, that's not the only reason_, Saber thought in a brief moment of lucidity. _She did it because… she wanted to begin our companionship with a gift of herself to me. Giving me her virginity was the first step, and now… we can truly become one._

"Rin…" Saber moaned out. "What else is there? What do we have to do?"

"Don't… worry… Once we both come, it'll be over. That's all… Please keep going!"

The two now turned over onto their sides, each one still locked onto the other in an inverted position. From the mutual feeling of pressure building in their lower abdomens, added to the strongly heated power of the gems moving ever upward, the women were both seconds away from reaching climax.

"Nnnggh!"

Rin, not knowing what else to do, put her lips around Saber's clitoris, sucking fiercely. Saber, spurred yet further by the renewed ministration, plunged her pink tongue deep into Rin's vagina. Past the quivering walls clamping onto her, Saber felt the pointed tip of the gemstone for an instant, and no more. The jewel disappeared, and at the same time, Saber was aware of a slight pang as the other jewel ground against her cervix, and then passed through it with a searing pop.

Saber's body exploded into a cascade of pleasure she had never felt before. Rin was similarly incapacitated, as Saber heard from the passionate cry of her lover accompanying her own. Both women writhed against the other as their orgasms peaked, receded, returned in a wave, and finally began dying down.

Spent, Rin turned herself around, crawling to face Saber, and then resting on her chest. It was minutes before they said anything, as heavy breathing calmed, and the burning pleasure cooled to the delightful embers of afterglow.

"Did it work?" asked Saber, looking up groggily, her arm on Rin's sweat-covered back, drawing her closer.

"Yes. Didn't you feel it? The heat of the jewels fading, then… just the rolling wave of love I have for you…"

Saber looked directly at Rin, who smiled and brought her mouth to hers.

"I love you, Saber. I love you so much."

"And I love you, Rin," said Saber, surprised at how naturally the words came out. "I'm sure it's because of you that I came back to this world. I'm happy that I have I reason to be here again. I'll always be at your side… my Master."

After a blissful few moments, Rin spoke again. She raised her head, letting her penetrating sapphire eyes connect with Saber's emeralds.

"The thaumaturgic jewels… they guarantee that we can be together forever. They're inside us, now, Saber."

Saber looked at her midsection as Rin pulled back further. Beneath the slightly-muscled surface, Saber concentrated, and felt the same warmth she had felt from the jewel. It was centered within her, its heat radiating out from her womb only as she thought directly about it.

Saber brought her hand up to rest on her lower belly. She saw Rin sitting up, smirking good-naturedly as both her hands caressed her own body.

"I feel so powerful," Rin purred, her flat palms moving back and forth under her navel.

The hard teardrop-shaped gems each rested in the uterus of Rin and Saber. Saber was overjoyed at being able to exist perpetually thanks to Rin's mana, by use of these tools. She also felt intensely happy that Rin could take the next step of helping her beloved sister. Rin's joy became Saber's joy, and Saber couldn't hold in her happiness. To her shock, she began to cry.

"Saber…"

"You've done it, Rin. You have the power to help all of us," Saber sniffed.

"It's because of the strength of your love for me that I can reach my full potential now," said Rin, and she lowered herself again onto Saber's naked body, covering her with slow, affectionate kisses.

Rin listened intently to Saber's strong heartbeat, which slowed as the two became increasingly drowsy. The first light of dawn appeared, but they weren't awake to see it.


	15. Rejuvenation

_Four years later…_

The phone rang, echoing slightly in the wood-paneled hall. Shirou got up with an apologetic smile, returned by Sakura, sitting informally at the low table. One of her arms was resting comfortably over her emerging pregnancy, its shape protruding through the sky-blue fabric of her long dress.

It was Rin calling.

"And how's my worthless brother-in-law?" asked Rin, light-heartedly. "Sakura hasn't found a reason to be fed up with you yet, has she?"

As always, Shirou took Rin's barbs in stride.

"Oh, no," he said. "I think that she's starting to love me more than ever, helping her through this new experience. Both of us are learning a lot."

"She's not gotten sick or anything since last time I checked, has she?"

Rin's sisterly concerns weren't necessary, Shirou thought. At four months pregnant, Sakura had so far been largely immune to many of the uncomfortable symptoms of childbearing. She was getting tired more easily, it was true, but that and any other irritations of pregnancy were things Shirou was glad to help with as he could. Even when she was feeling the strain on her body, Sakura wasn't far from a smile, and looking into her soulful eyes, Shirou remembered that she had already withstood infinitely worse tortures.

"Sakura is fine, Rin, really. Her doctor was impressed that she looks to be having as comfortable a pregnancy as she could."

"Well, she deserves it," said Rin. "Especially since you… Shirou… you did such _perverted_ things to my little sister… I still haven't gotten over the shock of when you two told us you were going to have a baby!"

Rin's voice wavered comically, and Shirou grinned, assured that she was just kidding. Mostly, anyway. Rin had cried hard when the married couple broke the news to her, and she refused to be consoled for some time. Shirou had a lingering suspicion that a bad rash he had developed the following day was really a curse from Rin.

Talk between the old friends inevitably turned to work. Rin was almost finished her degree at a private university, and already was poised to enter the decidedly non-magical world of prefectural government. Saber recently decided to try her hand at waitressing, after a long line of unrelated jobs. It was a source of pride for Rin that her live-in girlfriend ensured an unprecedented number of customers at the café she worked at. Rin had promised Saber that she wouldn't bother her while she was working, but it was difficult for her at times to resist seeing the foreign beauty adored by all.

As for Shirou, his work as a mechanic suited his direct and hard-working demeanor. The young man's characteristic endurance got him through the long hours, and nearly all of his time off the clock was spent devoted to his loving wife. Sakura adjusted to married life perfectly, and Rin used to tease her that nothing had really changed since their high school days.

"Shirou," Rin began. "I'm not sure that it would work with Saber, but… she and I were playing around with the idea of having a baby. You know, artificially. So… what do you think? Could I be up to the task, maybe?"

Shirou could practically see the blush seep through Rin's cheeks like a stain of red wine.

"I really can't imagine you pregnant, Rin," said Shirou, laughing.

"A-and what is that supposed to mean?" she returned, hotly. Even though he couldn't see Rin, Shirou correctly assumed the flushed and flustered appearance of his old comrade.

"Don't worry," said Shirou, becoming serious. Whatever you and Saber want to do, I'm sure that you'll be great parents."

"Uh, thank you… Shirou," Rin said, awkwardly, but grateful. "Saber's an astral being that can't give birth, and… I'm infertile, but… maybe there's something I can do with sorcery to get around that."

Rin didn't like talking about her considerable skills as a Magus, and she never brought it up unless it was applied to something important. It had been years since Shirou had seen Rin cast any spells.

"Listen, Rin," said Shirou. "Since you're going to be my kid's aunt, and you're the Tohsaka family head, I think it's only fair that I ask you. Would you want to train your niece or nephew in magecraft?"

Silence on the phone for several seconds before Rin responded. She wasn't angry, but she sounded very decisive.

"No. No, Shirou, I think that how much you choose to share with your child about the world of the Magi is up to you. When they're old enough, if he or she takes an interest in it, and they have your permission, then I would be their teacher. I can't deny who I am; I'll always be a Magus, even if I don't use my power often. But let me make this clear: the House of Tohsaka is finished. I'm its last head, and I have no intention of bringing its traditions back to life. It's time for us to join the real world."

Shirou thought that Rin would say as much, and he smiled into the receiver.

"Thank you, Rin. There's no way I could teach my child like my dad tried to teach me, but you would be perfect. But like you said, it's up to them. They have a right to their heritage, whether they accept it or deny it."

"Emiya…" Rin started to chuckle, and sounded quietly amused in her voice. "I still don't understand how someone as thick as you can be so wise once in a while."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Yeah, you'd better. Later! Hug Sakura for me!"

With a click, the call ended, and Shirou returned to his afternoon tea. Four months had passed since Sakura conceived, and her naturally pale skin was rosy most of the time now. Whether it came from her changing body or the acute happiness he could feel emanating from Sakura, her husband couldn't say. Alternating between sorcerous and conventional medical examination, the couple had determined that their forthcoming child would have no ill effects passed down from the mother. Sakura's tortured body would now come to yield an uncorrupted new life that would be as pure as its mother's gentle soul.

"You really don't want to find out until the birth whether it's a girl or a boy?" Shirou asked.

"No," said Sakura, absently stroking her stomach, as she often did now as she looked at her husband. "I think I'd want to have it as a surprise. Don't you?"

"Yeah. Wow… this is still so…"

Shirou trailed off, staring off into the refreshing breeze of the open window, and thinking about his new responsibilities. Sakura inched over to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Some things never change, Senpai. This baby will be another sign that we're meant to be together forever."

Shirou, amused that she referred to him as such, decided to reach for something familiar.

"You're such a girl," he murmured, stroking Sakura's cheek and her growing belly.

"That's right," she whispered back. "I've always been _your_ girl. And I always will be."

THE END

* * *

Thank you so much for reading. This was the first multi-chapter fanfic I've ever finished. The reason I got behind Fate/stay night for this, basing it on the TV anime, was because of my desire to see the characters develop their relationships further. I have a soft spot for the family troubles of the Tohsaka sisters, and their shared plight only alluded to in the series. My story, a continuation of the anime, was a very satisfying exercise in closure to a series that really touched my heart. Please write a review, either for a single chapter or the whole fanfic. I would very much like to hear honest feedback, whether positive or negative.

-SlenderMonkey


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